The Chemical And Romantical High School Years
by loki-dokey
Summary: My Chemical Romance are at high school! Well, except for Bob, who dropped out earlier that year... A new girl with 'icy blues' joins the school and changes the teenage MCR boys lives forever - but how?
1. Hand In Mine, Into Your Icy Blues

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE OR ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE****. **_**Any opinions or viewpoints that are published herein are directly from the contributing author and does not represent the philosophy or viewpoints of the band.**_

GERARD'S POV

I was slumped on the desk, bored out of my fucking mind. Class had only started ten minutes before but already boredom was setting deep into my skull. I relentlessly tapped my pen on the desk until the kid behind me kicked my chair hard from annoyance. I turned and gave him the finger. When I span back round, I smirked to myself. I leant forward and rested my head on my folded arms and drifted in and out of the room, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, I heard the classroom door open and like any other student my attention was immediately captivated. I looked up to see a girl walk into the room, wariness and nervousness flitting about in her eyes. It was then that her gaze caught mine and for a second she stopped and stared, but then shook herself and handed a piece of paper to Mr. Hunt. I had never seen this girl before, and I knew I hadn't because if I had I would have remembered her. She was…beautiful. She had long jet black hair that reached the middle of her back, and it had a nice wave to it. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a grey and red hoodie. I leant to the side and saw she was wearing red converse on her feet. Great sense of style. Black and red – very…Frankie. Her face was only slightly pale, and there was something about her that made her more beautiful than the average girl. It wasn't just her drop-dead gorgeous looks. It was her eyes. They were a deep sapphire – little icy blues. They were enchanting and she had me in a kind of trance. The teacher studied her note and then coughed to get the attention of the class, but it wasn't like we weren't all paying attention already.

"Ahem. We have a new student joining us today. Class, this is Willow Rush," he informed. What a beautiful name too! I sighed and leant against my hand that was propping me up. She caught my eye again and I saw her cheeks redden slightly. She looked away and could have sworn I saw her giggle to herself. So she'd noticed me. The freakishly pale dude with the shoulder-length greasy black hair. The teacher pointed out a seat that was two in front of mine and to the left. All I could see was the back of her head. All of a sudden, she slowly looked to the right of her, and then her eyes travelled down my row and her eyes rested on mine. Again. She caught me already staring, smiled and snapped her head back to the front fast. I grinned to myself. She had been looking for ME.

At the end of class, I thrust all my school crap hastily into my bag and left. Willow had already gone. I exited the room and found my locker which I unlocked and bunged in all the shit I didn't need any more. Suddenly Frank popped up out of no where.

"All righ' Iero?" I asked as I slammed my locker shut.

"Yup, I'm all good Gee. Hey, it's lunch so you wanna go grab a bite?" I nodded as my stomach rumbled my response.

"So have you seen the new girl yet?" I asked as we made our way through the bustling crowd.

"New girl? No I haven't. Is she hot?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah, and her eyes…Damn you could get lost in those blues…" Frank chuckled.

"Man, you're way too deep sometimes…" I punched his arm playfully and we entered the shitty school cafeteria. I spotted Ray's fro above the crowd of people, and Frank went on tip toes in a hope to see Ray too. But it was in vain.

"You're such a short-arse," I giggled, and he grimaced.

"I'm not short!" he grumbled. He'd given up on violent responses when people spoke about his height. References to it were made so often he couldn't be bothered with the hassle of constant arm punching any more. Then Ray caught my eye and waved across the lunch hall and we managed to force our way through to the table. We collapsed on the seats and I groaned at the thought of having to get back up and get my food. Ray was now busy munching away at his…gloop, and I stuck my finger in to taste today's special. Ray's look of disgust made me laugh.

"Sorry mate, just trying today's shit. Which, as always, turns out to actually _be_ shit." He moved his tray as far away from me as possible and went back to eating. I got up and Frank followed suit. We collected the gloop which turned out to be some form of pasta bake which suited Frank's veggie-diet fine. We trundled back to the table and then Mikey popped up from no where too. It seems as though everyone I know just appears randomly.

"Hey guys!" he said happily and settled down with his tray. I was about to put a forkful of shit into my mouth when I spotted Willow standing near our table. She was holding a tray of food and looking around anxiously for a place to sit. The jock table were wolf-whistling and calling her over, but being an obviously smart girl with taste, she ignored them. To save her from her newbie misery, I put up my arm and waved. She spotted me and slowly came over.

"Erm, hi," she said, placing her tray down.

"Every one, this is Willow. She's new," I told them, introducing her. They all had their mouths hanging open slightly at the sight of her.

"Are you all trying to catch flies?" she giggled, and she scooched in next to me. Their mouths shut abruptly. Before I even had a chance to introduce myself, Frank stuck out his hand.

"The names Frank Iero," he said in his "sexy" voice. Willow giggled cutely again and shook it. Then the others introduced themselves in turn. Finally, she turned to me.

"Hey, I'm Gerard. But you can call me Gee." She nodded and blushed _again._

WILLOW'S POV

'Damn it Willow,' I told myself. 'You've gotta stop goddam blushing!' Gerard –or Gee, had just introduced himself and I felt my cheeks burning up again.

"So you're new huh?" Mikey inquired.

"No shit, bro," Gerard sighed, rolling his eyes. So they were brothers. Explained why they looked similar.

"Sorry, just trying to make conversation…" Mikey mumbled. "So why'd you move to New Jersey?" They were all looking at me. I hated being on the spot.

"Erm, well, my dad left my mum and basically took all of our money when they divorced, and we ended up not being able to pay the mortgage on our house in Pennsylvania. So we moved to New Jersey when mum got a job in a café here." Gerard shook his head in disapproval.

"Your dad sounds like a dickhead," he growled.

"Yeah, turns out he was," I agreed, venom in my tone. Just thinking about my dad made anger boil up inside me again.

"Hey, you ok?" Frank asked, worried. He touched my hand and looked me in the eyes sincerely. He was actually kinda cute.

"I'm ok…It's just I hate my dad so god damn much!" They all nodded, but I didn't want to make this conversation any more depressing. "So, erm, how old are you guys?" I discovered Ray was in Senior year and was 17, Mikey and Frank were both 16 and Sophomore's in the year below Gee and I. Gee turned out to be 16 too, like me.

"When's your birthday?" Ray asked.

"13th of February," I replied, and they all 'ooed'.

"The 13th? Unlucky…" Mikey shivered. I smiled.

"In actual fact 13 is my lucky number. Ironic, huh?"

"Really? 13? Cool," Gee chuckled. "Frank's actually got the coolest birthday out of us all. It's on Halloween!" Frank blushed.

"Please would you stop telling everyone you meet? It's not even _your_ birthday!" Frank groaned as Gee giggled. Suddenly the bell rang telling us that it was time to go to class. I stood up and as I picked up my bag, my favourite guitar pick fell to the floor. I hastily went to pick it up but someone got there before me.

"Here," Frank said as he placed the pick into my hand. I quickly clenched it tight so I wouldn't lose it again.

"Thanks," I replied, zipping up my bag and tucking the pick into the inside pocket.

"No problem. Hey, do you play?" he inquired. I slung my bag over my back and we began walking together.

"I used to, but ever since I found out about my parents deciding to separate, I just turned my back on it. My dad bought me my guitar and if I played it again it would be like accepting his many apologies. And that's something I'll never do. I'll never forgive him." Frank patted my shoulder.

"He hurt you bad, didn't he? I'm sorry he made you go through so much shit. And by the way, I would love to hear you play."

"Don't be sorry. And I don't think you'll ever hear me play. I've probably lost my touch. I was never really that good anyway." I realised then that his hand was still on my shoulder and I glanced at it. I saw scratches on his wrist. I stopped.

"Hey…do you…do you hurt yourself?" I stammered. He looked confused but then he saw me staring at his wrist. He looked from the wrist to me and then back to the wrist. He laughed.

"No no! I don't hurt myself. Well, not intentionally. These are from broken guitar strings! You know, when they snap and just attack you?" I sighed in relief.

"Sorry!" I replied hastily. "You play guitar?" He nodded.

"It's my life! I play it all the time! Hey, you should come see our band practice later…if you want?"

"Yes! Oh wow I'd love to! And a band? Who's in it?" I asked.

"All the guys you met earlier. Gee's lead singer, Ray and I are guitar and Mikey's on bass. Bob's our drummer but he dropped out of high school earlier this year." I was about to reply when I realised that we were alone in the corridor. Well, we were alone until a man dressed in a suit saw us and angrily stormed towards us.

"What are you two not doing in class?" he growled, glowering. Frank leaned back when bits of spit flicked onto his face from the guys foaming mouth.

"This is the new girl, sir. She was lost and I was taking her to her next class. Which is…" he glanced at me for help. I quickly remembered my time table and I piped up,

"biology."

"Yes, biology. So please excuse us and we'll be on our way." Frank smiled sweetly up at him and the teacher glared.

"Watch your lip, Mr. Iero. No one likes a smart-alec." And with that he stormed off up the corridor.

"And that…is how it's done…" Frank said suavely, posing and brushing his hair back. I giggled.

"Smooth." And with that he did actually show me where biology was and went to his own lesson. I smiled after him as he walked away from me down the corridor. Suddenly he turned back and saw me staring. He waved, smiled back and then carried on down the hall. I blushed at being caught staring. I blushed AGAIN. Damn it!


	2. I Miss You!  I Miss You So Far!

**FRANK'S POV**

I stood outside Willow's biology room, tapping my foot impatiently. Most of the other students had gone and she was talking to the teacher. I could see her anxiously trying to get away but the teacher was refusing to let her go. Eventually the door opened and she breathed a sigh of relief, though she jumped when she saw me standing there.

"Oh! Frank!" She breathed. "Sorry, you scared me. Why are you here?"

"You said you wanted to see us practice didn't you?" I asked, smiling. Her eyes widened as she remembered and her face lit up.

"Oh yeah! Of course!" she replied excitedly.

"Well come on then!" I laughed and took her hand, aiding her through the crowded corridor. When we neared a group of jocks, I felt her hand tighten around mine. They wolf-whistled at her and I shot them a look. Vince, the cock – sorry, "jock" captain who had whistled glared at me.

"Got a problem, midget?" he sneered, and his other jock buddies sneered along with him.

"Yeah, you!" I growled back. I pulled Willow through the crowd and Vince shouted something back at me which I didn't hear. Still grumbling, we finally passed through the front door and I spotted the guys sitting on the steps. We darted over and they all looked up and waved.

"Hey!" Gee chirped happily. Then he glanced down at my hands. Willows fingers were entwined with mine still. Giggling, we both let go, embarrassed.

"Erm, so, yeah. I invited Willow to come to band practice!"

"Oh cool! Well, we've been waiting long enough for you guys. Let's go!"

**WILLOW'S POV**

We all piled into Ray's car. Mikey sat in the front and I sat squashed between Gee and Frank. I quickly text my mum telling her what I was doing, and she gave me the 'a-ok'. Mikey flicked on the stereo and Misfits came blaring out.

"Oh my God! I love these guys!" I squealed and the others looked shocked.

"No way, really? I didn't think girls would dig this shit," Gee gasped. I frowned.

"That's a bit sexist don't you think?" I grumbled.  
"Yeah Gee…" Frank agreed.

"Oh shut up Iero! You were all god damn thinking it too!" he growled. "Sorry Will, I guess it was a bit sexist…" On hearing 'Will' I snapped back to a memory from weeks before…

'_Will, I don't want you to go," Jared managed, tears forming in his brown eyes. I wiped them away with my sleeve and pulled him into a huge hug. _

"_I don't want to go either, honey," I sniffled. Then I just couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears jerked from my eyes and ran down my face. Jared pulled my face back to his and I saw his face wet with tears too. I kissed his lips softly and then buried my face into his chest. He stroked my hair._

"_W-what am I gonna d-do with-hout you?" he stammered. I felt his chest heaving up and down with sobs. I looked back into his eyes._

"_I love you so much Jay," I whispered.  
"I love you too, my little Willow tree," he choked. He kissed the top of my head. We crumpled into a heap on the grass and he cradled me in his lap. We were there for what seemed like hours, in a moment which I wanted to go on for ever, which meant never leaving him._

"Willow, are you ok?" someone asked worriedly. I snapped back into reality and saw the guys all looking at me anxiously. I felt something on my face. I touched it and my fingertips got wet. I was crying.

"Oh my..Oh I'm sorry, I just had a flash back…" I replied quietly, feeling a lump in my throat. Oh Jared. My dear, sweet Jared. Another tear trickled down my face. Gee caught it and pulled me into a hug.

"What's up, hon?" he asked sympathetically.

"When you said Will, you reminded me of someone I left behind back in PA," I sniffled.

"Someone you loved?" Gee guessed, stroking my hair softly.

"Yes, someone I loved very much," I sighed.

"Your boyfriend?" I heard a hint of flatness in his tone.

"No, my best friend. He was my best best friend," and with that I broke down. My tears stained Gee's shirt but he didn't seem to care.

"Shhh," Gee cooed. Being in his arms felt good, but not as good as when I was in Jared's arms. "He meant a lot to you didn't he?" Gee asked gently. I nodded.

"He meant the world."

"Then why did you never get together?" His response made me giggle. Then chuckle. Then laugh right out loud. They all wore the same confused expression on their faces.

"I didn't get together with him because he was _gay_!" I managed through my laughter. I knew that they hadn't known this, but the thought of getting with Jay made me crack up. I had replaced my tears of sorrow with tears of laughter.

"He was gay? Oh now _that _explains why you two never got together!" Gee chuckled. "You ok now?" he asked more seriously. I nodded, still laughing a little. He smiled and hugged me tight.

"We're here," informed Ray, and I looked out to see we were driving down my street.

"Why are you taking me home?" I asked, confused. The others looked back, just as confused.

"What? We're going to the Way house!" Frank replied. "Do you live down this street then?"

"Yeah, just there." I pointed to the house at the end of the street. We stopped then and piled out of the car.

"No way! You live near all of us! Ray lives around the corner, and I live opposite Gee and Mikey." Frank waved his hand at the house on the other side of the street.  
"Cool!" I grinned.

"Right, let's go inside," Gee ordered and he ushered us into his house. An elderly woman opened the door and smiled.

"Why hello boys," she said happily and Gee wrapped his arms around her, as did Mikey.

"Hey Grandma," they replied sweetly, and she kissed them on their cheeks. She spotted me.

"Oh, and who's this?" she asked. I smiled when she smiled at me.  
"I'm Willow Rush," I replied nervously. Her eyes lit up.

"Rush is it dear? Why, we share a surname! Come in, come in!" And we all paraded into the house. It was small inside, but not as small as my new house. Everything was higgledy piggeldey – nothing had a specific place. I loved it.

"Right guys, let's do this!" Gee called and we packed into the garage. Inside was a drum kit, a microphone, a bass guitar and two electric guitars. Suddenly my hand started twitching. I was so desperate to play again but I just couldn't.  
"Hey where's Bob?" Mikey said as he picked up his bass.

"I just got a text from him. He's gonna be a little late," Ray groaned.

"Dammit Bob," Gee muttered. I was still staring at the guitars. Frank picked up his and strummed a few chords perfectly. Jealousy ripped through me. Guitar had been my life before my fucking father decided to fuck my life up. I perched myself on an unused amplifier and watched them as they tested their instruments. Gee stood there aimlessly and kept checking his watch. Then the door to the garage opened.

"Sorry, sorry, so-ah shit!" came an unfamiliar voice. A boy around my age fell over a cable and landed on his face. The entire room cracked up laughing and I found myself giggling too.

"Nice way to make an entrance, Bob!" Mikey managed through his roaring laughter. Ah, so this was Bob. I rushed over and helped him up.

"Aw, thanks! Wait – who are you?" Bob asked in surprise when he saw my face.

"I'm Willow. I started at your old high school today," I said introducing myself.

"Ah I see. You're the one Mikey's been texting me about." We all looked at Mikey, who blushed a deep shade of red.

"Yeah well I just wanted to let Bob know about her, that's all…" he mumbled and gulped.

"What did he say about her Bob?" Frank giggled. Bob giggled too.

"He said she was beautiful and angelic and would die for her…" Bob put one hand in the air, one hand on his heart and acted like he was talking to the heavens. "Oh Bob, how would I survive if she were to leave us?" He put his the back of his raised hand on his forehead dramatically and sighed. "Oh Bob, I think I'm in love! Oh Bo-" He was cut off by Mikey jumping on him. "Help me!" Bob cried sarcastically.  
"You know I didn't say that!" Mikey growled and jumped off.

"Nah I know mate. You just said she was hot," Bob said nonchalantly as he sat down at his kit. Both Mikey and I flushed a deep shade of red at the same time. He looked at me and smiled weakly, and I smiled weakly back. The others were all laughing again. Finally they began to play and I sat there and watched in awe. But it was when Gee started singing that my mouth truly fell open.

_Late dawns and early sunsets, just like my favourite scenes__  
__Then holding hands and life was perfect, just like up on the screen__  
__And the whole time while always giving__  
__Counting your face among the living_

His voice was…amazing. He caught every note perfectly.

_Up and down escalators, pennies and colder fountains__  
__Elevators and half price sales, trapped in by all these mountains__  
__Running away and hiding with you__  
__I never thought they'd get me here__  
__Not knowing you'd change from just one bite__  
__I fought them all off just to hold you close and tight_

They finished their song off and I just sat there, speechless. The all smiled hopefully and eagerly awaited my verdict.

"We were that shit, huh?" Gee asked, laughing when words failed to leave my lips. Finally I managed to speak.

"No! You weren't shit! You were fucking AMAZING!" I cried and jumped onto my feet. They cheered.

"Aw, thanks Will-ow" Gee smiled sympathetically as he went to call me by the nickname but then thought otherwise. Suddenly Frank appeared in front of me.  
"Here," he said plainly, holding out his white Les Paul. I stared at it, then at him.

"What? You want me to hold it for you or something?" But he shook his head.

"No, I want you to fucking play it for me!" He grinned. I frowned.

"No! I've told you. No way." But he stood there. Defiantly.

"This isn't your guitar is it? So it doesn't have the same meaning behind it. You can't give up on your instruments; that's what I always say."

"When do you _ever _say that Frank?" Gee asked, but Frank ignored him.

"Please? For me?" He then gave me the largest, most pleading puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. I had to give in.

"FINE. For you. And you will only ever hear this once!" Angry at myself for giving in, I took the guitar. Suddenly I felt complete again. Electricity shot through my veins. I held it as though it were the most precious thing on earth. I touched the strings with my fingers and plucked at one. The sound. Oh my God, the familiar sound that I loved. I reached inside my bag and pulled out my pick.

"Only once remember?" I reminded them, and they all nodded, watching. Very slowly, I began to play. I decided to do 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen. I loved playing the guitar like the lyrics were being sung, rather than just playing the guitar part. So I went for it. The feel of a guitar back in my hands felt so good. Suddenly I heard Mikey begin to play the bass along with the song. Ray started strumming the guitar backings. I heard Bob start drumming and Gee begin to sing. I looked up at Frank who was grinning widely. He put his thumbs up at me and smiled wider. I grinned back. I'd have to find a way to thank him for getting me back into guitar. I then realised that the main guitar solo was nearing and Ray nodded at me to take it. So I did. Damn playing never felt so good! I couldn't believe I'd let myself stop playing! When the song ended the guys stood there gawping.

"You-you're fucking incredible!" Frank exclaimed, bewildered. The others nodded in agreement. I blushed (again) and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm not as good as you," I told him.

"Well you come up fucking close!" Gee said. I laughed at their faces.

"Really guys, I'm shit compared to you…"

"Don't put yourself down, Willow!" Mikey chirped up. "You're amazing, and don't you deny it!" I blushed (AGAIN) and handed the guitar back to Frank.

"Remember – that was a one time show – never again," I reminded them. Their faces dropped.

"Awww…" Frank sniffed.  
_  
_


	3. Another Knife In My Hands

**WILLOW'S POV**

Their practice ended and I hugged Gee and Mikey goodbye. Frank, Ray, Bob and I left the house and stood on the sidewalk.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna drop Bob home. See you at school tomorrow!" Ray and Bob hugged me and drove off down the road leaving Frank and I alone. I shivered. Frank looked worried.

"You cold?" he asked. I shook my head but he still took off his jacket and placed it around my shoulders. "I'll walk you home."

"Ok."

"So you enjoyed the practice?" He smiled.

"Hell yes! Oh, and thank you so much for getting me back into guitar!"

"Aw, it was nothing," he winked. "Glad to help!" The street we lived on was really long and we were alking for about five minutes. Just before my house there's an alley way. As we walked past I saw two figures in the darkness.

"Why hello Iero," came an all too familiar voice… Vince stepped out of the shadows and grabbed Frank roughly. Another jock grabbed my arms and pinned them to my sides. I writhed against him but he was strong. Way strong. Vince pushed Frank hard into the brick wall and Frank collided with it with a sickening _thud. _I threw my hand to my mouth but couldn't move due to the other jock's grip. Frank got up shakily and brushed himself off, but Vince had him at the collar. He held Frank up until he was barely on his tiptoes.

"So I'm your "problem", am I, Iero?" he cackled. Frank was wide-eyed but he tried desperately to fight against Vince's grip.

"You're a fucking ass hole," I growled, and Vince turned and glared at me. I saw the helplessness in Frank's eyes. Vince turned back to Frank.

"What is it you don't like about me, Iero?" Vince asked, malice in his tone. "Is it my body?" and he threw a punch hard into Frank's stomach, winding him. I shrieked as Frank gasped for breath. "Is it my cock size?" Vince kneed Frank hard in his balls. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor clutching his crotch and groaning. I wanted to help him so bad. This had to stop. Maybe my six years in self defence would come in handy. I was a bit rusty, but I had to try. "Is it my looks?" Vince roared, picking Frank up and punching his face. Frank's nose exploded with blood and I took that moment to elbow the off guard jock holding me in the stomach, winding him. Then I whacked his nose with the back of my hand and kicked him in the shins. He began to fall forward so I grabbed his arm, and threw him over the top of me. He landed with a smack on the hard concrete floor and screamed in pain. Vince had let go of Frank and was staring at the scene before him. This gave Frank the opportunity to punch Vince in the balls. Vince yelled out and clutched himself. I ran at him and roundhouse kicked him on his stomach so hard that he fell to the floor.

"Did you get what you deserve?" I asked angrily, my words full of venom. I bent down. He didn't reply. I knocked my hand on his head to get him to respond. "Are you there at all?" I hissed. He nodded, wincing. I kicked his stomach again out of rage and ran to Frank. "I can't help you here. We have to go," I warned him. He agreed and we sprinted as fast as Frank could out of there. Damn, he was messed up. We left the two beaten jocks in the alley and I hurriedly let us both into my house. I slammed the door shut and locked it. Then I saw Frank's face properly. He had a huge black eye forming and his nose was dripping blood.

"Fuck it. What have they done to you?" I gasped, cupping his face gingerly.

"'s no biggie," Frank winced.

"It is one hell of a biggie!" Frank laughed.

"Innuendo much?" he joked.

"Argh, you're such a _guy_!" I groaned.

"Why thank you!" he grinned painfully. I rolled my eyes and took his hand. I guided him into the bathroom and sat him on the counter next to the sink. Quickly, I dampened some cotton wool with water and wiped away the blood on his face. I tried not to put him through any more pain than he had already succumbed, but he winced a lot.  
"Thanks for cleaning me up," he said as I bathed his face with a warm flannel. "You have some serious martial arts moves too!" I blushed. (For fuck's sake!)

"Haha, thanks. I did do self-defence for six years – turned out it would come in handy after all!" He watched me as I applied some Savlon to the cut on his eyebrow.

"That't the best I could do for you," I grimaced. He turned to check his face in the mirror and frowned too.

"Damn that fucking jock!" he growled. He turned to me.

"Thanks again. I guess I'd better get going…" He began to walk out of the bathroom when I stopped him.

"You think I'm gonna let you walk home after _THAT_? No way. You're staying here until my mum comes home and then she'll drive you back." He rolled his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because if you go out there now, they will KILL YOU." That was putting it nicely.

"I guess…" he thought for a moment. "Ok, if you're sure." I nodded and took him to chill out in my room. I gawped at all the Misfits, Queen, Michael Jackson and Black Flag posters on my walls.

"You have some serious musical taste, girl!" he said in admiration.

"Why thank you!" I grinned. He flopped down on my bed. Wrong move.

"Ouch!" he cried out. I quickly ran over to him.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, now I am, but shit, my back…From where I hit the wall…" He pulled up the back of his black shirt and I saw the huge bruise covering half of his back.

"Ah shit," I groaned.

"Is it bad?" he frowned.

"Well, it sure as hell ain't pretty!" I pulled his shirt back down and sat on the bed, looking around. I sat next to him and took his hand.

"Are you ok?" I asked. He looked into my eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." My gaze moved from looking at his eyebrow to looking at his eyes. We were staring at each other. Suddenly I began to feel all hot and sweaty. I felt a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach. Frank put his hand on my shoulder.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me today," he said sincerely.

"Think of it as a thank you for helping me get back into guitar," I answered. Suddenly Frank leaned forward and placed his soft lips gently onto my own. The warm feeling in my stomach flared up and his hand slid behind my neck, pulling me closer to him. But I couldn't let this happen. Not yet. I slowly removed my lips from Frank's, but kept my face close to his.

"I'm sorry Frank….but we've only just met…"

"I know, I'm sorry…" his voice full of apology.

"Don't be sorry. I just want to get to know you more first…"

"And I want to get to know _you_," he replied. I smiled at him and he smiled at me. "Damn, Gee was right, you _could _get lost in those blues…" he whispered to himself. But I heard.

"What did Gee say?" I asked, wanting confirmation.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," he lied weakly. I decided to ignore it and we went downstairs and flicked on TV.

**FRANK'S POV**

My lips still tingled from kissing her. Damn why did I do that? I'd only known her a day – well, not even a day! I was such a pushy dick. I glanced at her as we sat watching some teen drama. She was fixated on it. She truly was beautiful. She glanced at me and caught me staring. This time _I _blushed. Well, she did too. She turned back to the TV. About 10 minutes later the front door opened.

"Hey baby," a woman's voice called out.

"Hey mum!" Willow called back. We both got up and went out into the hall. Willow's mum was removing her shoes when she looked up at me.

"Oh my God? Oh my dear what happened to you?" she rushed over and held my face in her hands, just like Willow had. She looked a lot like Willow, except her hair was brown and her eye colour was green not blue. Willow must have inherited her other features from her shit head father.

"I got…beaten up…" I mumbled.

"Mum, can you drive him home? He lives just down the road but those shits might be anywhere…" Willow's mum glared at Willow.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" she asked angrily. Ah, she was NOT impressed with the swearing.

"Nothing…." Willow replied quietly.

"I don't want to hear that language again, young lady. Now, what's you name?" she asked, turning to me.

"Frank Iero, Miss. Rush…" She tutted.

"My dear, call me Jenny." I nodded. "Of course I'll take Frank home. All you have to do is point out the house number and I'll drop you."

"Thank you Miss-Jenny." She smiled.

"Bye Frank," Willow said, hugging me. I hugged her tightly back. "See you tomorrow, ok?"  
"Yeah, see you then. And thanks again for tonight. Oh and sorry about the…you know…" I blushed. She blushed.

"Don't be sorry," she whispered in my ear. I shivered. In a good way.

**WILLOW'S POV**

Mum took Frank and I charged upstairs to my room and lay spread-eagled on my bed. Frank and I had _kissed. _It had felt so right, and I hated myself for stopping it. But it was true – it was all too soon. I had only known him a day. But still…a day could be all it takes.  
"Argh," I sighed, pulling the pillow over my head. I didn't hear the door open and close but suddenly I felt a weight on the end of my bed. Someone rubbed my back. I head a muffled,

"Did you have a good first day sweetie?" I sat up.

"Yeah mum, it was actually great! I made so many new friends!" She hugged me.

"I'm so happy for you! And that Frank, he seems nice," she said, hinting.

"…Yes mum, he is. He's really nice…"


	4. Come One, Come All To This Tragic Affair

**WILLOW'S POV**

My alarm buzzed on my side table. I turned it off sleepily. Yawning I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. Removing my hands I saw them covered in black. Damn it. Forgot to take my make-up off last night. I groggily made my way to the mirror and sure enough – I looked like a panda. Quickly I whipped out a make-up wipe and cleaned my face. Yawning again, I pulled on my dressing gown and slippers. I shuffled like a little old lady to the kitchen and poured myself a much-needed coffee. I also shook some Shreddies into a bowl and munched them down. I heard mum slowly make her way downstairs. She entered the kitchen looking a lot like me – like crap. Both our hair was a bird's nest and we both had no make-up on. _Attractive…_  
"Mornin'" mum grunted as she poured herself a coffee. She sat down opposite me.

"It's supposed to be freezing today. Wrap up warm ok? I don't want you catching a cold." Aw, my mum, ladies and gentlemen. Such a mum. I loved her so much.

"Sure thing," I mumbled as I chewed. I finished breakfast and after the coffee I was more awake. I had a shower and then I grabbed my blue jeans and my black Uggs. Warm shoes. I pulled out my roll-neck black jumper and yanked it over my head. I found a big black belt and put it round my waist. It wasn't there for convenience. It was the for style. I carefully applied a line of blue liquid eyeliner to my eyelids and then did my mascara. I stared at my pale face in the mirror. 'Fuck it' I thought. I grabbed my hardly used blush and gave some colour to my cheeks. In actual fact it made me look less like a dead person and more like a living human being. I touched up my lips with a little lipstick, but in a subtle colour. Happy with how I looked, I grabbed my bag. I stuffed the days shit in it and zipped it shut. Before I did so I kissed my lucky pick and tucked it inside. I grabbed my black jacket and pulled it on. I skipped downstairs. I was excited to see the guys and Frank, but at the same time nervous. Frank and I had kissed last night. What if he had told the guys? I kissed mum goodbye and left the house. True enough, it was freezing.

"Fuck." I ran back inside, wrapped my blue scarf around my neck and placed my blue beanie hat on my head. I also picked up my black fingerless gloves.

"Bye…again!" I called out. Shutting the front door, I rubbed my hands together. As I reached the bottom of the steps I shrieked. The guys were all standing around the corner waiting for me.

"Fucking hell!" I cried out, and then winced back at the house in case my mum had heard me. No movement at the windows, thank god. "You guys scared the crap out of me!" I said in a quieter tone.

"Haha, sorry…" Mikey apologised. They were all there, except Bob of course. I saw Frank standing there and caught his eye. He smiled and I smiled back. The Gee popped up.

"Hey girl! Damn, you life saver. Thanks for helping Frankie!" He hugged me tightly.

"Ok Gee, a girl's gotta breathe!" He let go laughing.  
"No seriously, thanks for helping him. And you have GOT to show me those martial arts moves he's been telling us about!" I blushed and looked past him at Frankie. He gave me a 'they don't know they kissed last night' look and I nodded.

"Come on then, into the car," Ray said, hurrying us along. We piled in and I took the place I sat yesterday between Gee and Frankie. I kept glancing at Frank and he kept glancing at me. We were blushing the _entire way to school._

**GERARD'S POV**

Frank and Willow had been acting odd all morning. They hardly spoke, and they kept looking at each other all the time and blushing. What the hell had happened last night? Surely saving him from some jocks couldn't result in those kinds of reactions… I caught up with Frank after study hall when he was on his way to music.

"Hey, hey Iero!" I called after him. He spun around in the hallway and stood there waiting, disrupting a small crowd of freshman's on their journey to their class.

"Hey man, wassup?" he asked.

"Did something happen between you and Willow last night?" I watched his face, waiting to see him slip-up in his lying.

"No." He blushed. There it was. The slip-up.

"You're lying to me, Franklin Antony Iero."

"No I'm not. And don't call me Franklin."

"I'll call you whatever the fuck I want to. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not fucking lying!" he retorted and span on his heel. He marched down the hall and I power walked next to him.

"Frank, we're best friends. I can tell when you're lying. I always have been able to. Now just tell me." He stopped and huffed.

"Eh kushed ha" was all I heard when he mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"I fucking kissed her!" he said aloud.

"Well, I could have fucking guessed that much!" I sighed.

"Then why did you have to even get me to say it out loud?" He glared at me.

"Sorry, Frankie, but I thought best friends tell each other everything? If something like that happens, tell me, even if it _IS_ something I don't want to hear in particular." His glare softened and then he smiled slightly.

"I do love you, Gerard Way," he replied, now grinning that famous Frankie grin I knew and loved. A freshman walked past and sniggered.

"Gay!" We both rolled our eyes and I pulled Frank into a hug.

**FRANK'S POV**

Gerard Way was the best friend that everyone wished to have, and I was lucky enough to have him. We had been best friends since I could remember- playing in the sandbox in Gee's backyard was a memory that had stuck with me for ever. Gee had stuffed sand up his nose and I watched as he prepared to sneeze. When he did, sand showered everywhere, along with a long line of bogey that was still connected to Gee's left nostril. I laughed so much that day.

Gee put his arm around my shoulder and we walked together to the cafeteria. Mikey popped up along the way and skipped alongside us. We made it in and Ray and his fro joined us. We looked around for Willow. After half an hour of stomach rumbling and no success in finding Willow, we regrouped in the lobby.

"Where the fuck is she?" I asked, worried. The office lady caught my language and gasped. The guys sniggered.

"We've looked everywhere. She said she'd meet us in the lunch hall!" Gee groaned nervously.

"I'm gonna go look some more, ok?" Mikey offered, and he darted off.

**MIKEY'S POV**

We had ransacked the school, turned it upside-down but no luck. She was no where to be found. There was one place we hadn't checked though. I sped to the sports changing rooms like a ninja, hiding behind things as the amount of jocks and cheerleaders around increased. Eventually they thinned out and I reached the changing rooms. No one else was around. Silently, I opened the door to the girls locker room. I stuck my head inside but no one was there. I left it and checked the guys one. Dang it, nothing. I was about to leave when I heard a muffled sob come from the store room cupboard. I tried to open it but the bloody thing needed a key.  
"Willow, are you in there honey?" I called out. Silence. "It's Mikey!"

"M-m-mikey?" came the muffled reply. "Oh Mikey! Help me! I'm trapped!" I recognised the voice instantly.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get help!" I ran full pelt to the janitor's office. I slammed my fist against the door furiously.

"All righ' all righ' sonny. What's the problem?" Mr. Humphrey, the janitor asked as he opened the door.

"Help-my-friend-is-stuck" I breathed. We rushed back to the store room and he unlocked it. When it opened, a horrific sight met my eyes. Willow was cowering in a corner, cuts and red marks all over her face. Her lip was puffy and one of her eyes was black and blue – like Frank's. Tears streamed down her face. I hurried in and threw my arms around her.

"Oh honey, you're safe now. Shhhh it's gonna be ok, shhhh," I cooed to her. I stroked her hair and she gripped me tightly. Carefully, I picked her up in my arms and carried her out.

"Oh my Lord!" Mr. Humphrey exclaimed upon seeing her face. "Quick, get her to the nurse. I'll go see the head." I nodded and we parted ways.

"Can you walk?" I asked worriedly.

"I-I think so," she replied quietly. I lowered her to her feet and she stood their shakily.

"You ok to walk to the nurse? Or do you want me to carry you?"

"I-I'll walk," she answered, almost inaudibly. I held her close as we walked and tried to keep to the quieter routes to the nurse. We finally made it and the nurse gasped.

"Darling! Oh my heavens! Oh sweetheart, come and sit down. Who did this to you?" the nurse fussed. It was the who did it to her that I was most concerned about.

"I-I-I…" she sobbed. "I c-c-an't tell y-you." The nurse's brow furrowed, as did mine. I squatted down beside her.

"Willow, we need to know. The shit who did this to you needs to be fucking dealt with!" I growled. The nurse flashed me an appalled look on the use of my vocabulary, but was too worried about Willow to really care.

**WILLOW'S POV**

My face hurt like hell. Fucking Vince and his jock buddies. Mikey's worried face brought tears to my eyes and I stroked his face.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. I just c-can't say who-o it was." He frowned. "They-'ll h-h-hurt me ag-gain!" He slammed his fist angrily on the bed.

"If I EVER find out who did this… they are DEAD!" he roared.

"Ok Mikey dear, calm down. Here," she handed him a glass of water, along with a glass for me. We sipped them slowly when suddenly the head walked in. He asked so many questions, but none of them managed to get it out of me.

_And if you tell ANYONE that I did this to you, I'll personally beat the shit out of every single one of your little friends – ESPECIALLY Iero. You got that, bitch? Oh, and I'd hurt you too. I'd hurt you so bad that you're pretty little face will never be pretty ever again. No one hurts me and gets away with it._

Tears rolled down my cheeks again and Mikey hugged me close. The head shook his head and went to file the report. The moment he left the guys stormed in. And they were ANGRY.

"WHO THE FUCK DID THIS TO YOU?" Gee roared.


	5. I'm Not OFuckingKay!

**FRANK'S POV**

I had my arm around her the entire way home. She whimpered into my shoulder and I stroked her hair soothingly. I didn't need to ask who'd done this. I already knew. It was obvious. Vince had beaten the shit out of her. Gee was sitting looking like he'd whack any one who pissed him off even slightly. Mikey kept turning around from the front seat, checking on her. He had been so great today, finding her, keeping his cool and helping her. I smiled at him. We finally pulled up outside her house. We walked her inside and I sat with her on the sofa. Mikey bustled around in the kitchen making coffee, Ray grabbed a wet flannel from the bathroom to put on her forehead and Gee was pacing.

"What the fuckity fuck," he growled. "Two of my friends beaten up over two days. This is so fucking shit!"

"Calm it, Gee," Willow mumbled. He kneeled down in front of her.

"Please tell us who did this so I can beat the crap out of them back?" She shook her head defiantly.

"No. And that's final. What's done is done and I don't want any one else getting hurt." The front door slammed. Jenny came rushing in and gushed over her daughter.

"Oh baby, who could have done this to you?" she cried. She stroked her daughters face and looked around. "Who did this?" she hissed. We all shrugged.

"She won't tell us."

"Why, honey? We need to deal with this!" She had turned back to Willow. Willow shook her head.

"No, mum. Just no." She jumped up and stormed out of the room. The guys and I followed suit. She slammed her door shut in our faces.

"You ok?" Ray inquired.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"YES."

"_I'm_ not convinced she's telling the truth," Gee said irritably.

"Look, I'm telling you the truth! I mean this, I'm OK! TRUST ME!"

"Right, that's it." I huffed, and opened her door. She was sitting on her bed and hugging her teddy bear. The guys began to come in but I put my hand up.

"Give me a minute," I whispered. I shut the door and sat down beside her.

"It was Vince, wasn't it?" I whispered into her ear. Her shoulders shook.

"Y-yes."

"I knew it." She looked up, and went to say something, but I cut her off. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I bet he threatened to hurt people if you told anyone?" She nodded and I slid my arms around her.

**WILLOW'S POV**

Frank cradled me in his arms for a while. I heard his heart beating softly under his skin and it soothed me.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.  
"Much better," I replied honestly. I sat up and hugged him. "Thank you for being so amazing." He blushed.

"It wasn't me who helped you, it was Mikey."

"Yes, and he's amazing too. But you, you're something else entirely."

"So what am I?"

"…Perfect." He stared at me. I took the opportunity to slide my hands to the back of his neck. I leant in slowly and pressed my lips against his. This time I was sure this was right. We shared a tender, proper first kiss at that moment. It was just pure. I pulled away slowly but kept my gaze locked on his.

"Wh-what about 'getting to know each other' first?" he asked.

"Screw it." I pressed my lips against his again and he responded as eagerly as I did. My hands and fingers tangled in his hair and his ran all over my back and sides making me tingle. He then cupped my face in his hands and we fell back onto the bed. I rolled on top of him and kissed him all over his face.

**FRANK'S POV**

She wanted me. I wanted her. Simple solution? Get together. She kissed me with so much passion and heat that it was overpowering. I felt her tongue trace my lips and then I opened my mouth allowing her warm tongue to explore. I used my own tongue to explore her mouth too. Just as things were beginning to get _slightly _out of hand, the door flew open at the same time as the words,

"What the fuck is taking so lo-" Silence.


	6. I Don't Love You Like I Did Yesterday

**GERARD'S POV**

"Erm…" was all Willow could manage as she slowly turned to look me in the eye. I frowned. Why? Why Frank? Why not fucking me? Frank got all the fucking luck. Fuck it, I was being such a shitty friend thinking that, but I couldn't help feeling so jealous. She slid off of Frank and sat on the floor. Frank sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Erm…" he said sheepishly. I shook my head. They both blushed.  
"I thought you were _supposed_ to just be _talking_?" I asked angrily. I didn't mean to speak so spitefully. It was just my jealousy ripping through me.  
"Sorry Gee…It just…happened, I guess…" Willow shrugged, frowning at my tone. Frank stood up and helped Willow to her feet. Her hand stayed entwined in his as they walked towards me. Then Frank stopped dead.

"Is that your guitar?" he asked her, pointing under the window. Mikey, Ray and I walked in and there, under the window, was a white Les Paul with 'Pansy' on it in silver lettering. It was a beautiful guitar.

"Yeah it is. But I haven't touched her other than moving her from the moving van to the spot where she is now. And she probably won't move for a VERY long time." She accentuated the 'very'. It was a shame. It was a really nice guitar. Frank was literally drooling over it.

"She-she's so fucking beautiful!" Frank sighed longingly. Willow laughed.

"It's a shame to let her beauty go to waste. But I can't bear playing her. I can't feel the music properly when she's at my fingertips…" Willow sighed sadly. I saw the hurt behind her eyes. Frank did too. He hugged her close. Damn, how I wanted to be the one to hug her when she was sad and lonely. Fuck it! I still could! For Frank and for Willow, I would be the best fucking friend I possibly could! I would ignore my jealousy and be a true friend.

**WILLOW'S POV**

I loved Pansy with all my heart. I longed so bad to play her but I knew the hurt it would cause me. She was indeed a beautiful guitar. She had been my only friend at one point. Apart from Jared of course. But when I'd be in my room back in PA, and my parents were screaming insults and accusations at each other, I'd plug in my Pansy and play her so fucking loud I'd drown out the shit sounds of the world. But here we were now, so separated that there was no going back. She was dead to me now. My father leaving had taken away her soul. Tears sprung to my eyes. Frank wrapped his arms around me. He held me close.

"I love Pansy so fucking much," I sobbed. Frank stroked my hair. I pulled out of his arms and dropped on my knees in front of my guitar. Ok, so all these feelings for an instrument may seem a little melodramatic to a non-guitar player, but to a guitarist, their guitar is everything. And not being able to play your favourite guitar is the worst feeling in the world. I gently stroked Pansy's strings and then her bridge. I shivered as I cried. God, I was so pathetic. The guys all came and sat next to me.

"Do you want us to search out your dad and kill him?" Gee snarled. I choked.

"What? Why?" I said, shocked.

"Because he's done this to you. He's stopped you being able to make music on the instrument you love. Being musicians, we see and understand how much that hurts you." I was touched. Gee was so cute and loving. I placed my hand on his.

"Thanks for the offer, Gee, but I don't think that would help anything." He growled and glared out of the window. Frank reached out very slowly and touched Pansy's soundboard. I winced slightly at the touch and he withdrew his hand quickly.

"Sorry, I just….Sorry…" he quickly apologised.

"Don't apologise. I've always been very touchy about people touching Pansy." He smiled weakly. We all sat in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence.

"Hey guys why don't you chill here tonight? Like, stay over? We could have a slumber party or something! My mum's working tonight. I don't really feel like being alone…" I sounded so fucking pathetic. But it's because I was. They all got very excited very quickly then.

"Oh my God that sounds frickin' awesome!" Mikey squealed as he bounced to his feet. "I'll go home and grab our stuff Gee!" And with that he was gone like a ninja.  
"I'll go call Bob!" Ray squeaked excitedly as he darted downstairs. Gee and Frank helped me up.

"I'll go call for pizza!" Gee exclaimed happily. This left Frank and I alone.

"I'm gonna go back to mine and grab my shit, ok?" he said as he kissed my cheek. So I was alone in my room. But not for long. Gee arrived back.

"Hey, all the others have gone to get their stuff. You're mum's just left for work. We're all…alone," he said the last few words in a mock-scared tone. I giggled. His face then went serious.

"I don't think you should give up on Pansy. Give yourselves time. You'll come together again. I promise." Gee's words made me catch my breath. He was such a sweetheart. I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Gerard Way. For being such an amazing new friend."

**MIKEY'S POV**

I ran about the house, throwing odd shit into a rucksack. I grabbed some horror movies, Gee's sleeping pills, our toothbrushes, pyjamas and a load of 'sleepover' food. Mmm, microwave popcorn had always been my favourite! Smacking my lips, I dashed back out of the house. I was so excited!

**RAY'S POV**

A sleepover! Awesome! I grabbed my GameCube, my Donkey Konga game and four sets of Bongo's. I also picked up all the stuff I required for the stay at Willow's. I sped out of the house, threw my stuff in the boot of the car, and set off to pick up Bob.

**BOB'S POV**

A sleepover? Well, this would be a first. Dang, it sounded so gay. But yet, so fun at the same time?

**FRANK'S POV**

I loved her. I truly and deeply loved Pansy. But Willow could never know.


	7. We've Got Innocence For Days!

**WILLOW'S POV (9pm)**

Mikey sat there with tears streaming down his face. His glasses were flecked with teardrops and he was hugging a pillow. Gee was trying desperately not to sob but it ended in vain. He burst out into tears and cried loudly. Franks eyes were brimming and shining. Sniffing and sobbing was filling the room.

"Why! Why did you have to fucking die!" Gerard cried out. Ray bawled and even Bob looked on the brink of crying. I was just blubbing like an absolute baby.

"Why did you put us through this?" snivelled Mikey, aiming his question at me.

"I'm sorry!" I sniffed. I was snuggled on the sofa with Frank and Gee sat at my feet. Mikey was at the other end of the sofa and Ray and Bob were sprawled out on the floor. Kate Winslet was floating on a door on the ocean, staring deep under the water after her beloved Jack had broken away.

"Oh come on, she can't die too!" Gee yelled, rubbing away his tears furiously.

**HALF AN HOUR LATER… (9.30pm)**

"No! No! HA HA HA! NO PLEASE STOP!" I cried out desperately. Frank and Mikey were tickling me to absolute death. The movie had finished and we had cheered ourselves up with coffee and pizza. Oh, and gummy bears and skittles. I discovered Frank's major love for skittles, and upon stealing the packet from both him and Mikey, they plotted their revenge – pinning me down and tickling me mercilessly.  
"I'LL SAVE YOU!" Gee roared, pointing to the sky in true superhero fashion. He threw a blanket over his back like a cape and super-manned it over to me. He wrenched Frank and Mikey from me and carried me marital style to the sofa.

"My hero!" I squealed and kissed his cheek.

"Don't fuckin' mention it," he winked at me. He placed me down and I propped myself up. Frank and Mikey huddled in the corner of the room scoffing all the skittles.

"Hey guys, wanna play Donkey Konga?" Ray asked excitedly.

"Fuck yeah!" Bob whooped and they set up the GameCube. Soon enough, all of us were having a huge Bongo war in teams. I was with Gee, Frank was with Bob, and Mikey was with Ray. Each person in the teams took it in turn to play and the other one would encourage and cheer on. It was SO much fun! I decided I seriously needed a GameCube after that.

**3 HOURS LATER… (12.30am)**

"What colour?" I held up my nail polish box. Gee looked at them thoughtfully.

"Hmmm. How about THIS one?" He picked up bright blue.

"Nice choice!" I congratulated him and we sat down at the table so that I could paint his nails. Mikey stood there straightening his brother's hair whilst Frank applied make-up to Gee. Somehow Frank was scarily good at doing make-up. We had decided to turn Gee…into a girl. We worked away and finally I handed him some clothes – one of my mother's long blue dresses and a pair of black tights. I pulled out my mums flipper like high heels – she was size NINE. The same as Gee. Poor mum. Such a BigFoot. He went into the bathroom. None of us had really looked at what the other one had done to make him look like a girl to make it more of a surprise. Slowly, very slowly, the bathroom door opened. We all gasped. No words escaped our mouths. Frank's jaw had dropped so low I was afraid it would hit the table.

"Well?" Gee asked nervously. He looked…hot. Like, 'if I was a guy I'd totally screw you if you really were a girl'. He looked like Christina Ricci for crying out loud! His normally pale face had been covered with foundation giving him a more human than vampire look. His eyes were lined with black liquid eyeliner and his lashes had been extended by mascara. His lips were plumped and coloured a deep scarlet red.

"Gee, you look…fucking amazing…" Frank exclaimed. Gee posed and cat-walked over to Frank. He pressed his body against Frank's and ran his hands through Frank's hair.

"Am I playing out your fantasies, sugar?" Gee said in a scarily good woman-voice. He traced Frank's jaw line with his finger sexually. I saw Frank shiver. He was lost for words. All the rest of us tried to suppress our chuckles but failed and ended up roaring with laughter. Gee neared his face closer and closer to Frank's, and suddenly kissed him. Their lips were locked for about a second or two until Gee pushed him away. We laughed harder at Frank's shocked expression.

"I-I…What the-?" I walked over to Frank and patted his shoulder.

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER… (12.50am)**

Micro-waved Popcorn Fight. Enough said.

**AN HOUR LATER… (1.50am)**

Ray was snoring away, as was Bob. They were in sleeping bags on the floor. Mikey, Gee, Frank and I were all huddled together on the sofa bed.

"Thanks for such a great night, Willow," Gee yawned.

"No problem. Gee, if you're _that _tired, go to sleep damn it!" He nodded and slid onto the floor by my feet once more. He curled up in a sleeping bag and was soon off dreaming. Mikey joined him in dreamland very soon after. The small sofa bed, which would only hold two people, was reserved for Frank and I. I snuggled into his embrace further, and he kissed the top of my head. I leant up and placed a kiss on his lips, which soon turned into what had happened before Gee had interrupted us earlier. Our tongues explored each others mouths and our breathing got haggard.

"Would you two shut the fuck up? I'm _trying _to sleep!" Gee groaned. We giggled and finally I drifted off in Frank's arms.


	8. We Could Be Perfect One Last Night

**WILLOW'S POV**

I woke to the smell of sizzling bacon. I felt around for Frank but couldn't find him. Slowly I opened my eyes and blinked around. No one else was in the room. Then I heard the buzz of voices in the kitchen and laughter. I rubbed my eyes, sat up and yawned. I bet I looked like complete and utter crap. I shuffled over to the mirror and sure enough, my hair was everywhere and the make-up from last night was splattered around my face.

"Great," I grumbled, and as quick as I could I darted to the bathroom to avoid people being subjected to my face. I reached the door and before I could touch the handle, the door opened.

"What a pretty little panda we are this morning!" Gee teased. His hair was ringing wet and he had a towel wrapped around his waist. The rest of him was bare. I caught my breath. He was…buff. Like, his stomach was toned, as was his chest. He had some serious definition. "Is panda too distracted to speak?" he chuckled, and I blushed. I tore my eyes away from his body and looked into his eyes.

"I look like the shits, so excuse me so I can go and fix it." Still giggling, he let me past and I shut the door. Why did I have to stare at him like that? I hung my head in embarrassment, and then got to fixing up my face. I cleaned off all the make-up, left the bathroom and picked up my dressing gown and slippers. When I entered the kitchen, the sight that met my eyes made me get choked up. All my friends were sitting around in the kitchen laughing and chatting; my mum was serving them breakfast and joining in their conversations, giggling. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have met such amazing people. Mikey spotted me standing there and waved me over.

"Morning sleepyhead," my mum said as she pecked my cheek. I sat down between Mikey and Frank and grabbed some bacon. Frank's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"What, you don't like bacon?" I asked, shocked. How could someone not like bacon?

"I'm a veggie." My jaw must have dropped and hit the table.

"You don't eat meat?" I managed. Meat was like my other half, my love. I was such a guy.

"Nope. Poor little piggy…" Frank sighed, looking at the bacon on my plate.

"You're such a freak, Iero," I teased.

"Hey!" he replied in a mock-upset tone. We all burst out laughing.

**FRANK'S POV**

I watched in repulsion as the others wolfed down their bacon and sausages. Poor, poor little piggies. Finally breakfast ended and we collapsed in the living room again. Jenny walked in and gasped. No wonder. Popcorn was EVERYWHERE. As were skittles, gummy bears and odd flecks of pizza. Blankets lay strewn across nearly every piece of furniture and tissues from the sobbing over Titanic were scattered all over the floor.

"Clean this mess up RIGHT NOW!" she ordered angrily. "This pigsty better be spotless when I get out of the shower or else you will NEVER have a sleepover here EVER again!" We all gulped as she left the room.

"Quick!" Willow cried, and we sped about picking up every bit of rubbish we could find. Mikey returned from the kitchen with a trash bag and we hurriedly cleared the floor. Willow produced a vacuum cleaner and handed it to Bob who whirled around sucking up odd little bits. Once the floor was clear, we rolled up al the blankets.

"I'm on my way down!" Jenny called from the top of the stairs. We all looked at each other and gasped. I literally threw the blankets at Gee who stuffed them into a neat pile and the place was done. Jenny reached the bottom of the stairs and inspected the entire room. We stood there nervously waiting for her verdict. She stopped in front of the stairs again. That was when I noticed it. A thick slice of pizza was _stuck to the wall_. Right beside where Jenny was standing. She hadn't spotted it yet.

"Well I guess this place is clean enough. Well done guys." She was about to turn, and if she did she'd see the pizza. I ran over to her and threw my arms around her. The guys must have thought I'd gone crazy. Jenny must have thought I'd gone crazy.

"Thank you so much for letting us stay over last night! And for breakfast this morning!" As I hugged her I ripped the pizza off of the wall and let her go. She looked at me shocked.

"Erm, ok Frank…" she said confused and walked into the kitchen. I sighed in relief. I turned to the others who stood wide-eyed and staring. I held up the pizza. Realisation struck them.

"Ahhh. That must've been me. I left it there for safe-keeping," Bob exclaimed.

"Ew."

**GERARD'S POV**

I flicked on the kettle, humming 'Our Lady Of Sorrows'. I loved that song. Mikey had obviously heard the switch because he came bouncing in.

"Coffee?" he asked, sniffing the air like a dog.

"Only just put it on. Geez Mikey, you're like attuned to the kettle aren't you?" He nodded impatiently and sat down at the kitchen table. The others were all in the living room. We were still at Willow's and it was 1pm. Not that I minded in the slightest. Beat the shit out of being stuck at home. I sat down with Mikey.

"You think it's gonna last?" Mikey whispered.

"What?" I said, whispering back.

"You know, Frank and Willow?" I sat back.

"I don't know. It happened fast, but they seem happy. They're not even dating yet though." Mikey smiled.

"You're a good friend to them Gee."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I can see how much you like her. And your not acting jealous at all. You're being great." I smiled back at my little brother.

"Thanks Mikey. And is it that obvious that I like her?" He grinned.

"Not to everyone else. But to me, yes. It's because I'm your brother and I just…get you." I beamed back at him. The kettle finished boiling and Mikey jumped up to pour the coffee.

"You're such a great bro, do you know that?" I said, still smiling.

"Of course I did," he replied, winking at me. Then came a scream from the other room.

"**OH MY GOD IT'S SNOWING!"**


	9. What's Life Like Bleeding On The Floor?

**SORRY THIS ONE'S SO SHORT, I JUST NEEDED TO END THIS CHAPTER WHERE IT ENDED TO HELP IT TAKE FULL EFFECT. ;)**

**WILLOW'S POV**

"**OH MY GOD IT'S SNOWING!" **I cried out at the top of my lungs. We had been playing Donkey Konga when I had glanced out of the window and seen a flurry of white flakes. Last year in PA, it hadn't snowed at all. I had missed snow. So upon seeing the amazing stuff outside the window made me squeak with excitement. When I screamed out, everyone jumped out of their skins. Giggling, I ran to the window and jumped about pointing.

"Look! SNOW!" I yelled. The others got to their feet. Mikey and Gee ran in with excitement plastered all over their faces. The others faces lit up too. "I'm going outside!" I cried and whizzed upstairs. I yanked on my wellie boots, my thick black scarf and gloves and my puffy winter jacket. I shot past the guys and ran out into the snow. It was already about two inches thick. I twirled and began rolling the body to a snowman I already had pictured in my mind.

**RAY'S POV **

"Come on guys!" I squealed. We all grabbed our jackets and gloves and trudged out into the snow. Willow was already rolling out a snowman. Seeing snow made me feel like such a kid again. Very quietly, I scooped up a snowball. I patted it firm in my hands and took aim for Mikey's head. Ready…aim…

"FIRE!" I yelled and hurled the snowball. Unfortunately, Mikey had moved and instead the snowball hit Bob in the face. Ouch.

"I-I-Oh, Oh SHIT!" I screamed as an angry Bob came hurtling towards me. He scooped up fistfuls of snow and pelted them at me. He kept hitting me and I squeaked in pain. Finally Bob's anger was replaced with joy and fun and we had a major snow ball fight.

**GERARD'S POV**

It was all so exciting. I couldn't see the other end of the street for the snow.  
"WAHOO!" I cried out as I ran and joined Willow. "Should I begin rolling the head?" I asked. She nodded as she struggled with the body. It had grown huge and she could hardly roll it. Frank sprang up and helped her push.

"Thanks Frankie," she breathed. I rolled up the head and we all – Willow, Ray, Bob, Frank, Mikey and I – lifted it up and placed it on top. "Wait a sec!" Willow shrieked and darted inside. She was gone for around two minutes before she appeared at the door again holding a carrot and an armful of coal. Everything that happened after that happened so fast. She began to run down steps but her foot slipped on the ice. I watched helplessly as she slid back and screamed. I heard the sickening crack of her head as it made contact with the hard concrete step. I saw the snow turn a horrifying shade of scarlet. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. She wasn't moving.

"Oh-oh my-ohhh shit!" Frank choked, tears flooding his face. He fell to his knees beside her. "Willow? Willow!" he sobbed. Mikey whipped out his phone.

"Help! We need-oh fuck-oh shit-we need-oh…" and with that my baby brother fainted. He fell limply onto the snow and I ran over to him.

"Mikey! Mikey!" I shook him. His eyes flickered. The phone lay at his feet.

"_Hello? Hello? Are you ok sir?" _I heard it say. I snatched it up.

"Help us! We need an ambulance! Please hurry!" I gave the operator my address. Soon sirens were whirring in the distance. I looked over at Willow. Her face was pale and drained. Blood was thick upon the snow. A once beautiful winter wonderland had turned into a bloody, stomach-sickening nightmare.


	10. Shut Your Eyes,Kiss Me Goodnight & Sleep

**FRANK'S POV**

I felt sick. So fucking sick. The sterile smells of the hospital and the gut wrenching thoughts of Willow's limp body were swirling around in stomach. I saw my reflection in the window opposite. I was ghostly white and my eyes had huge bags beneath them. I hadn't slept for days. Not since she'd fallen. I looked over at the bed where she lay so peacefully. I hoisted myself out of the chair and pulled it over to sit beside her. I took her warm hand and held it tight. She hadn't woken up since the accident.

"Willow. Come back to me," I whispered into her ear. Her face didn't change. Not even an eyelid flickered. She had lost one heck of a lot of blood and she was barely living. Tears rolled down my cheeks again. I lay my head on her stomach and listened to her heart beat. Her warmth enveloped me and I drifted off into a deep and stressful sleep…

"Frank," I heard someone call my name distantly. "Frankie, wake up man, it's time to go home." I blinked. I was still in the hospital. Gee was squatting beside me, rubbing my back soothingly.

"Gee…" I said, my voice gravely.  
"Come on…" He helped me get up, and I leant down and kissed her on the lips.

"Don't leave me."

**GERARD'S POV**

I held Frank as we walked from the hospital. I helped him into Ray's car and we drove to his house.

"Here we go," I said as we lay him on his bed. It seemed as though he had given up living. I stroked his hair out of his eyes. "See you later mate." I leant down and kissed his forehead. Frank mumbled something which I didn't quite hear. When I asked him to repeat himself he was already asleep. "So long, and goodnight," I whispered.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I crossed the street to go back into my house. As I looked down the street towards Willow's house, I saw a man talking to her mum. They were shouting. Like Mikey, I ninja'd it along the street and hid behind a car nearby where they were arguing.

"I have every right to see my daughter!" the man roared. Ah. So it was the fucking dickhead of a dad.

"No! You gave up on her. You gave up on US. So why suddenly start caring about your daughter now when you obviously didn't care about her when you left us and took all of our money!" Jenny snarled.

"Bitch! I don't give a shit what you fucking say! It was MY money. I EARNT it! You deserve nothing because you're a worthless piece of shit! Why I ever married you is beyond me!" I growled. Anger boiled up inside me. Rage shook me to the core. No one should be spoken to like that.

"How-how could you?" Jenny sobbed. "I'm go-going to ask for-for full custody." A smack. A cry. A thud. A car door opening. A car door slamming. A car engine. The car drove off and I peeked around the car I was hiding behind. Jenny was on the floor in the snow sobbing. Fuckface had gone. I quickly dropped down beside her.  
"Are you ok?" I asked nervously. I helped her sit up.

"H-he hi-hi-hit m-m-me," she said as she broke down. "And my baby…she's i-in hospital and sh-she w-w-won't w-wake up-p." I don't think she realised who I was yet. The fact that I knew about Willow. She thought I was a kindly stranger since she hadn't seen my face due to the darkness. I hugged her tightly.

"Shhh. It's gonna be ok." I rubbed her back. I prayed to God I was right.

**MIKEY'S POV**

I had caught the bus to the hospital secretly. I opened the door to Willow's room and closed it quietly. A chair was pulled up beside her and I sat down in it.

"Frank's hurting real bad, honey. We all are. Especially your mum. We need you to come back to us," I pleaded softly. I rubbed her hand and my tears dripped onto my lap. She was calm and tranquil just lying there. No idea of the pain she was causing people. "Please Willow. Please."

**JARED'S POV**

My fingers tapped anxiously on the steering wheel. My poor baby. Tears were pouring down my face. She was asleep and not waking up. I needed to be there with her. I needed to hold her hand and help her back into the living. I sped down the highway at top speed through the darkness. Signs flashed by telling me how close I was getting to New Jersey. When I had received the call from Jenny telling me what had happened, my world had crashed around me. Not only had my baby left me alone in PA, but she had left the world of the living and entered into the unconscious, unable to escape. Angrily I put my foot down and took the junction off of the highway.

Half an hour later, I followed the SatNav's directions to the hospital. When I saw the large white building looming in front of me, my heart pounded. My baby was in there. She needed me. I pulled the car to a stop and dashed out. The woman at the front desk looked up.

"I'm here to see Willow Rush?" I asked anxiously. She told me the route and I quick stepped it there. The door stood in front of me. Slowly, I reached out and turned the handle. A boy a few years younger than me was sitting holding her hand, tears wet on his face. His glasses were halfway down his nose and his hair was a mess. He blinked up at me but didn't say a word. Neither did I. I dropped on my knees beside her and took her other hand. She was pale and broken and it hurt me so bad to look at her.  
"My beautiful baby. You're not ready yet. You've still got life left in you. Hold on. Come back. Will…"

**WILLOW'S POV**

I could hear voices in the distance. My memories were swirling around in my head.

"When will my wings be ready?" I asked the maiden softly. She looked at me in surprise.

"Not yet, my love. Be patient. In time, if you believe." I nodded, confused but understanding. Faces of those I recognised whom I could not remember floated around me. "You are one who is loved by many yet you feel alone in that world. Why do you wish to return to the land of the living when you have asked for you wings so constantly?" I shook my head.

"I do not know. I do not feel like my wings will fit me yet, like they will when my time is sure. Please don't allow me to make the wrong choice." The maiden frowned.

"I shall not choose your fate for you. This is your decision, child. But I will say that those who love you will put up a strong fight to keep you with them. If you let go you will not only lose yourself, but cause them to lose _themselves_." What a strange world this was. I could see the oceans of memories flooding the shoreline of my dreams, getting closer and closer to my feet that were covered by white silken sand. One touch of those waters would take me back to the people I loved, yet I could not move from my spot. I was frozen by my indecision. My wings were being sewn by the angels and I yearned for them to take me to a place where I could be free of pain, loss and anger. A place of constant freedom and love and joy. Of warmth and peace. But this place which I was born, this life I had left behind, seemed to hold all of this together. The pain and the freedom. The loss and the love. The anger and the joy. People who cared for me were crying for me – I could feel it. They wanted me back with them. This limbo was hurting my mind and soul. It stung me with decisions and choices. I looked out upon the ocean and heard a voice in the distance.

"_Will…"_


	11. Honey, If You Stay You'll Be Forgiven

**~1 WEEK LATER~**

**GERARD'S POV**

I stood outside the hospital, puffing on a cigarette. I had only started a few days ago, but already I was hooked. I had needed something to calm the stress. The doors opened. Frank shuffled out, his eyes glazed and his face paler than ever.

"Gimme," he said plainly, his hand out for the cigarette. He too had taken up smoking around the same time I had. Sighing, I handed it over. He furiously puffed away as I lit up another.

"How are you doing, Frankie?" I asked_again. _He gave me the same answer he did every time.

"Shit." I put my arm around his shoulder.

"She'll make it through this, Iero." A tear fell from his face. Then tears dripped from my eyes. I pulled him into a tight hug. Jared's car drove up in front of us. He got out and gave us each a hug.

"How's she doing today?" he asked nervously.

"The same as every other day. She's never coming back," Frank said defiantly before crumpling into a heap on the floor. Jared and I got him to his feet again.

"Don't you DARE say that Frank! She WILL wake up!" Jared growled, tears jerking from his eyes. "I'm going up to see her." And with that he stormed off.

"Come on, Frankie. Let's go in." I said, patting my best friends back.

**WILLOW'S POV**

The angels handed me my wings.

"Are you ready, child?" one of them asked. I didn't react. The seemed so distant from me. I was being torn between the living and the dead. The angel cocked her head to one side. "Young one, why do you frown so?" she asked wonderingly. I looked up at her.

"I miss them," I replied plainly.

"You will forget them and all your pain if you let go," the angel reminded me. She was right – if I just let my wings take me, everything would be perfect. I would never feel pain again. But yet, what I would leave behind – my mother; a kind, wonderful woman whom I loved dearly. Jared, who I had already left behind in the world of the living. I loved him so much. And my new friends. And Frank. And Pansy. I collapsed on the sand, the grains lapping at my legs.

"Why does it hurt so?" I asked desperately.

"You are being ripped apart by your indecision. You're time to choose your path is nearing it's end. If you do not choose, you will be lost forever." The angel placed her hand on my shoulder. "You must make your choice, or forever cease to exist in not only the living, but cease to exist in the dead. A lost soul is the worst fate anyone can bring upon themselves, my child." I did not know what to do.

**JARED'S POV**

How dare Frank even THINK that? She WOULD come back. She WOULD. She was strong. I opened her door and there she was, exactly the same as when I had first entered this room a week before.  
"Jenny, I brought you a coffee," I said to the shaking woman at my baby's bedside. She looked up at me and smiled weakly, tears staining her pale cheeks.

"Thank you sweet heart." I sat down beside her and rubbed her back gently. "I miss the little things the most, you know?" she said, mainly to herself. She was staring at Willow. "Like the way her hair shaped her face." She stroked her daughter's cheek. "And the way her eyes would light up at the word 'coffee'". We giggled softly. "Her blush. Her sweet little blush at anything and everything. Oh, how she hated that." Jenny laughed gently as more tears rolled down her face. I pulled her into a tight hug.

"She'll wake up soon, I promise," I told her, but even I couldn't tell what fate had lined up for Willow. My baby might never wake up. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but I daren't let Jenny see them falling.

A few minutes later, Frank and Gerard walked in, filling the room with the smell of smoke. My nose wrinkled. Frank stood beside Willow and stroked her face lovingly. I could tell how much he loved her by the look in his eyes – the hurt that glazed them over. Gee stood by the window. I could tell he was in pain too, but he was the type that didn't like to show it. He was staying strong. I walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"This is all so…surreal," he said quietly. "Like it's a nightmare that I can't wake up from." I nodded, gulping away the tears that were forcing their way out of my eyes.

"I feel the same. I just want to wake up and see her smiling face blushing at me again." Gee went to reply but the door opened and a greying doctor came in, his face worn and grim.

"Miss. Rush, may I speak to you outside for a moment?" he asked, sadness hinting in his voice. Oh no.

"What ever you have to say to me, you can say in front of the boys," Jenny replied defiantly. He looked at each of us.  
"Very well. Miss. Rush, I am terribly sorry, but I'm afraid your daughter isn't showing signs that she will ever wake up. We are going to have to take her off of life-support. I'm so very, very sorry." This wasn't happening. This was all a nightmare. Jenny burst into tears and threw herself over her daughter protectively.

"NO! NO! She will wake up! She will! You just wait and see!" Jenny shook her daughter softly. "Sweet heart, you have to wake up! I won't let them take you away, I won't!" I dropped to my knees, unable to speak. Frank was shaking and Gee pulled him into an embrace. My baby; my beautiful, kind, loving baby. How I wished to see you blush once more.

**WILLOW'S POV**

Emotion flooded my head. So-many-tears. So many tears they were crying for me. I hugged myself tightly. The angel looked down at me sadly.

"Child, you have only a few moments left to decide your fate. The world of the living has chosen to end you, therefore making your decision for you. If you choose you can go back. But remember, pain and sorrow are emotions experienced in that world. In the land of the dead, you will feel no hurt, no grief. You will only feel every good emotion." I stood there, staring out across the ocean. I was still frozen. Torn between life and death; stuck in limbo. Did I want to let go? Did I have the strength to give up my humanity? To become an angel and join the dead?

**GERARD'S POV**

We all stood around her – Mikey; Ray; Bob; Frank; Jared; Jenny and that shit head of a father. She lay there like a sleeping angel. If there was a God, he would let her live. She was too young to die. She hadn't lived yet. Not properly. None of us had. Not even the adults. Death should come naturally, not by disease or injury. We should get to experience every single human experience we can before we die. That's what I hoped for. Jenny gripped her daughter's hand tightly. The door opened, and death itself walked into the room. The doctor passed by us and stood beside her. All he had to do…was flick that switch…and it was over.

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Hurry child! Make your choice! Or you shall be taken into the land of lost souls!" the angel beckoned desperately. I was being pulled apart still by indecision. My wings awaited me, but also my friends and family awaited me. I looked at them both. My angel, my guardian angel, touched my hand.

"It's time. Now, or forever shall you drown in lost souls." That was when I made my choice.

"I am not afraid to keep on living."


	12. I Can't Always Just Forget Her

**BOB'S POV**

I couldn't help but let the tears fall. Heck, I'd only known her for a few days but still. She was something special, this one. She was far too young to die. The doctor was standing at her side. His hand was lifting to the switch…

"WAIT!" I cried. They all stopped and stared at me. I was sure I'd seen it. If my eyes had been playing tricks on me I'd gouge them out for lying. But I'd SEEN IT. Her hand… it had MOVED. I pointed. "Her-her hand…" I gasped. "It moved." Mikey patted my shoulder.

"We all want her to wake up, Bob. But it's too late. She's going…" Mikey blubbed. But I defiantly and angrily pushed my way to the bed.

"She fucking moved, ok?" I yelled. The adults gasped at my language. Not that I gave two shits. I grabbed her hand. "Willow! Come on baby! Wake up!" I urged. She didn't move.  
"I'm sorry son," the doctor sighed, and I stepped away. My eyes were being removed as soon as this was over. The doctors hand reached for the switch again. Tears fell from all of our eyes.

"Goodbye, my darling," her mum said as she leant down and kissed her daughter's cheek one last time. The doctor's hand moved closer.

"WAIT!" Jared screamed and he nearly pushed the doctor to the floor as he rushed past. "She DID move! I just saw! Her eyes! Look!" We all looked. Nothing.

**FRANK'S POV**

Her eyes were…flickering. She was…waking up. I couldn't breathe. I joined the others as they all neared the bedside.

"Honey, baby please…please…" Jenny sobbed violently. I held my breath. Her eyes slowly opened and she blinked rapidly. Her eyes adjusted. She was awake. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiles erupted about the room and the entire saddened air lifted.

"Wh-where am I?"

**WILLOW'S POV**

They were all staring. Why was I in a hospital? And wh-who were all those boys?

**JARED'S POV**

"You're in hospital honey," I said, tears of joy running down my face. She blinked up at me.

"J-Jared?" she asked, her voice rough. I nodded and hugged her tightly. Her mother then did the same.

"Oh, baby! Oh you've come back!" she cried. Willow looked confused.

"Y-E-A-H…but WHY am I in hospital?" she urged.

"You had a bit of a fall, I'm afraid," her dad said, stepping in. She glared up at him.

"What are YOU doing here?" she spat. Her recoiled slightly.

"I'm your father, what do you expect?"

"Love, care and affection. Which _you _show none of." Ah, my baby was back. I chuckled. Her father glared and backed away silently. Frank rushed forward and grabbed her hand.

"I've missed you so much," he sobbed. He went down to kiss her but she hit him away.

"Who the HELL are YOU?" she asked, shocked.

**FRANK'S POV**

My face stung from the slap. I stared at her, wide-eyed. The doctor patted my shoulder.

"This is a common side-effect of a coma. She has short-term memory loss. It seems that she can't recall recent memories. I'm sorry, but it could possibly be permanent. You'll have to make friends all over again," he told me, sympathetically. I couldn't stop staring.

"Wi-willow?" I asked. She looked back at me. "It's Frank...I'm Frank." Tears welled up in my eyes. She looked at loss.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know who you are. Jared, do you know him?" Jared looked at me.

"Yes, I do. And so do you. You just don't remember. But we'll find a way. A way to make you remember." It was all too much. She couldn't remember anything. About me, or Gee, or Mikey, or anyone.

**GERARD'S POV**

I stepped beside Frank.

"Hey Willow," I waved. She looked at me, confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't know _you _either!" I frowned. Poor babe. I touched her hand.

"I really hope you remember us. We had some fun times." My eyes brimmed with tears. Only two days and now this. Two days of excitement, fun, store rooms and alleyways. And she couldn't remember a single thing. Poor Frank. He loved her so much.

**~TWO HOURS LATER**~

I had my arm around Frank's shoulder. We had left the hospital and were now sitting in my living room with the other guys. Mikey patted his knee.

"Come on, we should be grateful it's just two days of memories she's lost, and that we didn't know her for longer. Or this would be much harder than it already is." Aw, my baby brother. Always looking on the bright side.  
"But she can't even remember our kisses. Our moments. None of it." Frank said, staring into space.

"Here," Ray said, passing us each a coffee. A much-needed coffee. There was a knock at the front door. Bob went and opened it. A few minutes later and Jared was sitting opposite me, his brown hair hanging over his face.

"I'm sorry that you guys are going through this," he said sympathetically. Suddenly Frank exploded.

"YOU DON'T CARE THAT SHE CAN'T REMEMBER US! ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS THAT SHE REMEMBERS YOU!" he roared. He stormed off to the garage and slammed the door. I glanced at Jared, who was shell-shocked.

"I'll go and…yeah." I raced after Frank. I found him sitting on an amp, crying his eyes out. I couldn't hold it in any more either. I burst out in floods of tears. Our new friend had forgotten about us. We would have to work at rebuilding our friendship again. But as for the moment, we were no longer a part of her life.


	13. Give Me A Shot To REMEMBER!

**FRANK'S POV**

For the next few days, I hardly saw Willow. She got brought home from the hospital the day she woke up, and now Jared was staying with them for a while. I had apologised for screaming at him and he had accepted that. The guys and I were staying out of their way for a while. It was the Christmas holidays, so school was over for a few weeks. I really would have preferred being at school – it would have taken my mind off of things. But now I had all this spare time. Luckily the guys were always around and we used the time for band practice and so forth. I was now in my room, lying on my bed, staring at the blank ceiling. There was a soft knock on my door.

"Come in," is sighed. It creaked open and Jared's face appeared.

"Hey," he said kindly. I smiled over at him.

"Hey. Come on into my shit hole," I almost laughed. Jared walked in and sat on the end of my bed. I sat up and turned serious. "How's she doing?" I asked nervously. He looked down at the floor.

"Much better. It turns out all she had forgotten was the move to NJ and…you guys…" he replied quietly. I looked away. I still couldn't believe she had forgotten us. Those two days had been something special. "You guys should come and introduce yourselves again. Maybe it will spark a memory and she'll see the light. If not, it gives you the chance to become friends again." I nodded. I'd give the guys a call and we'd head over.

"You're a good guy, Jared. I can see why she missed you so much." He glanced up, a look of surprise on his face.

"She spoke about me?" he asked.

"Yeah, she had a flashback and started crying. This was on the first day we met her. Gee called her Will and that triggered some sort of memory…" Jared smiled.

"Will is what I call her. I never call her Willow unless she's pissed me off," he chuckled. "So obviously I call her Willow quite a lot." I giggled too.

"I'll give the guys a call and we'll be over a bit later ok?"

"Sure thing. See you then, Frankie." He leant over and hugged me. With that he was gone. I immediately grabbed my phone and dialled Gee's number.

**~HALF AN HOUR LATER~**

**WILLOW'S POV**

They were all here again; those five strange boys. Yet somehow I felt comfortable around them. I'd been constantly told that I'd known them, but it seemed so bizarre. They were all staring at me. I blushed and the cute one with dark hair who had tried to kiss me in hospital giggled. I blushed again. My mum walked in with a tray of coffee and some cups. She set it down on the table, smiled, kissed the top of my head and left. Jared, the boys and I were sitting in the living room in silence. We were all glancing around at each other nervously.

"So…." I said, breaking the ice.  
"So you don't remember anything about us, Willow?" the tall boy with messy hair and glasses asked. I shook my head sadly.

"No, sorry. Nothing. What exactly happened?" I asked wonderingly.

"Well, you kicked some serious jock ass the first day we all met you. You saved Frank's butt!" exclaimed the long-haired boy named 'Gee'. They all burst out laughing.

"I did?" I replied, giggling too.  
"Yeah! You were awesome! You're martial arts moves are kick-ass!" Fred, no, Frank chuckled.

"Oh wow, thanks…" I blushed. Jared slid his arm around me and held me close.

"Oh and the sleep over! We dressed Gee up as a girl!" Mikey laughed.

"No way! So what else?" I pushed. They all looked at each other, unspeaking. Then Mikey cleared his throat again.

"Erm, well, you kind of got beaten up by someone and shoved in a cupboard…" I was shocked. I had been beaten up? And…trapped in a cupboard!

**GERARD'S POV**

She looked so shocked. Poor Willow. It must be so weird for her. She caught my expression and frowned along with me.

"Are you ok?" I asked her. She nodded.

"I can't believe I can't remember any of that. You guys…I'm so sorry…." She sniffed. My face dropped even more.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't mean to slip on the ice!" I cried out. She didn't need to be sorry!

"I know, I know, but I just wish…I wish that I still knew you," she replied, a single tear travelling from her eye to her chin, where it dripped onto the floor. I got up and wrapped my arms around her. At first she seemed reluctant but then she hugged me back tightly.

"I want to know you. All of you. Can we…try again?" she sniffled.

"Of course we can! And if you liked us then, you'll like us now." I pulled away and winked, causing her to blush again. I turned back and Frank caught my eye. He looked pissed off. Probably because I was getting the most blushes. I looked away and sat back down. I poured myself a coffee and sat back.

"Can I ask…" she mumbled. "Why did you try to kiss me in the hospital?" She aimed her question at Frank who blushed, but also frowned sadly.  
"We had…grown attached over the couple of days we'd known each other. We had kissed a couple of times." Frank's blush deepened. So did Willow's.

"…Oh," was all she managed. She looked confused. There was an awkward silence.

"R-r-really?" she stuttered after a moment. "I can't believe I can't remember!" she growled and smacked up fist hard on the sofa. "I'm sorry, this is all too much too soon!" she cried out as she fled upstairs. We all heard her door slam and winced.

"Don't worry. It's not you. She's having a hard time…coming to terms with it all…" Jared sighed sadly. I heard a sniff. I turned and saw Frank wiping his nose with his cuff. That was what he always did when he was upset. I put my arm round his shoulders.

"I want her to remember," he said quietly and plainly.

"We all do Frankie. We all do."


	14. Vampire's Will Never Hurt You, Iero

**WILLOW'S POV**

I cried into my pillow. Oh how could I not remember? I used every ounce of my brain power to search for those lost memories, but was unsuccessful. I needed to breathe, so I pulled the pillow away from my face and looked about the room through teary eyes. All my music posters hung on the walls just the way I wanted them. A Queen poster hung above my bed and I ran my finger across the beautiful guitar that Brian May was holding. Suddenly Pansy snapped into my thoughts. I glanced over at my lonely guitar sitting beneath the window, pleading at me to play her. I walked over slowly, and sat down in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Pans," I whispered. "My heart just doesn't belong to you any more." I stroked her bridge and sighed. Oh Pansy. The door opened and I shuffled away. It was Gee.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked kindly, with a smile. I shook my head. He dropped down beside me. "You know, it only took you two days to become one of my friends? That's a record. I think Mikey took ten years or so, and he's my brother!" I giggled.

"You're a sweet guy, Gee. I can see why I liked you." He smiled wider. He suddenly brushed his hand across my cheek. My eyes widened and he giggled.

"You had some tears still on your face," he said plainly. I relaxed and smiled back.

"Oh," I grinned. He was quite good looking beneath that mop of long, greasy, black hair. Although, it was hanging so much in front of his face that I couldn't see him properly. I reached out and tucked his hair behind his ear. His eyes grew wide.

"You had some hair covering your face," I said plainly. We both laughed softly. "You're so pale," I said thoughtfully.

"I try to stay out of the sun as much as I possibly can," he said nonchalantly.

"You're such a vampire," I giggled. He sighed sarcastically. Then he looked around my room.

"You have such great taste in music. I told you that before, but obviously you…don't remember…" he frowned. Damn my memory loss. He stood up and helped me to my feet. Like a dramatic scene from a movie, I tripped and fell into his arms. Slowly, I looked up into his eyes. He looked down into mine. There was a moment of silence. Going through my head was 'you've only just met him; you've only just met him!' But also 'this could be such a perfect moment'. The door flew open and we both turned to see Frank. He began to say,

"Hey are you guys ok beca-" but he stopped as he saw us. I was in Gerard's arms, my face quite close to his. Frank's face dropped.

"How? What? _Why_?" he managed. I pulled away.  
"Frank! It's not what it looks like!" Gee hurried, but Frank shook his head angrily.

"You took the opportunity, didn't you Gerard?" he spat. Sadness flooded his eyes and he stormed out of the room, slamming the door. We stood there, staring after him in silence.  
"I didn't - I wasn't – we weren't gonna-" Gee stammered. Tears sprung to my eyes.

"Poor Frank," I sobbed. "If only I could remember!" I yelled and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"I've got to go!" Gee cried, running out of the room to catch up to Frank. I sunk into a foetal position and bawled my pathetic little eyes out.

**FRANK'S POV**

How COULD he? My best friend? How could he use her like that? The fact she couldn't remember gave him the opportunity to make his move. Rage flared up inside me and I ran out of the house. I heard the guys calling after me but I ignored them. I flew down the steps and began to walk down the road. I thrust my hands deep into my hoodie front pocket and glared at any passers-by. I kicked a stone hard and watched as it bounced along the pavement. My thoughts were all clouded. Then I heard quick footsteps behind me and panting. I turned and saw Gerard jogging after me.

"Piss off," I growled as he pulled up and walked beside me.

"Nothing happened."

"Well it fucking could have if I hadn't walked in, couldn't it?" I snarled cruelly.

"I swear to you, I'd never have let it happen! I would never do that to you! You're my best friend Iero!" he pleaded. He put his hand on my shoulder but I hit his hand away.

"Don't touch me."

"Please Frankie! I promise!" he put his hand on my chest and turned me to face him. I grabbed my shoulders roughly and made me look into his eyes. "Franklin Anthony Iero. If you love me, you'll believe me." I tried to look away, but his huge puppy dog eyes prevented me from doing so. How could I disbelieve that face?

"I told you. Don't call me Franklin." His face lit up and he pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back tightly. A boy from our school walked past.

"Gay."

"We're gonna have to stop hugging in public like this, or we will end up getting a gay reputation." I chuckled. Gee laughed.

"Yeah, and they'll come up with some weird name like "Frerard" or something!"

**WILLOW'S POV**

I sniffled and rubbed my nose. How could I have even wanted to kiss Gee when Frank had obviously meant more to me? I grabbed my face in despair and looked at Pansy.

"What are you looking at?" I asked angrily. She sat there in silence. Calling to me. I reached out slowly and grasped her neck. Electricity shot through me. Pansy. I thrust her into the amp that sat beside her. How could I suppress myself any longer? I threw her strap over my head and let her hang. I found my lucky pick and stood there. Could I? Could I bring myself to play her again? After all my dad had done? She was screaming at me to play her now. Shakily, I grasped her neck and placed my fingers correctly. Holding her like this again after so long was like the thing that had been missing from my life was here again. I felt complete.

"Oh Pansy…" I sighed. I just gave up then. I couldn't hold it back. I threw my picked-hand down and strummed a chord. "Oh my god…" I moaned. Tears fell. "I'm so sorry Pansy! How could I have left you so long!" Then it all hit me. Everything. Everything came back to me. All the forgotten memories. The jocks, the cupboard, the move. Mikey, Ray, Bob, and Gee. And Frank. Oh my… Frank!


	15. Well When You Go

**FRANK'S POV**

"Come on, let's go back," Gee suggested. I nodded and we turned back around. We were walking back when I saw Willow's front door open and Willow run down the steps. She stopped on the sidewalk and stared at me. We stared back at her.

"Willow?" I asked nervously.

"Frank," I saw he mouth silently. Then she started running. I was so confused. What was she doing? Had the fall sent her crazy too? I didn't have time to ask because she threw arms around me and pressed her lips against mine. At first I was shocked. But then realisation struck. She had _remembered. _I kissed her back passionately. There was a small cough. We broke apart, but I held my arms around her. Gee stood there awkwardly.

"So what's all this about?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"I remembered Frank! Pansy…she helped me…" I grinned.

"You played Pansy?"

"Yes! Oh, I couldn't deny her any more! I love her, and that's all that matters."  
"That's the spirit! Oh I'm so happy you've remembered!" I squeaked and hugged her tightly. "Finally it won't be awkward any more!"  
"No!" she beamed and pulled Gee into the hug who happily obliged.

"Oh thank fuck that's all over…" he sighed. We all burst out laughing.

**MIKEY'S POV**

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked anxiously. Frank had stormed out of the house moments before followed closely by an upset Gerard. All of the rest of us sat there stunned. Then a chord from an electric guitar had been strummed upstairs followed by an excitable Willow charging out of the house. I span around to the others.

"I have no idea!" Jared exclaimed, shocked. We all looked at each other.

"What the fuck?" Bob asked. "What the fuuuuuuck?" We sat there in a bewildered silence. Then the door opened, and Frank walked in with his arm around Willow. Gee followed close behind. We all stood.

"Wi-willow?" Jared stuttered. "You've remembered?" I heard the hopefulness in his voice. When she nodded happily the whole room erupted with cheers. We all piled onto Willow with hugs and she giggled.

"Ok ok guys! I can't breathe!" she cried out, still laughing. We all backed off and saw her standing with her arms wrapped around Frank again, and beaming. Oh, she remembered. I was so thrilled!

"Honey, I'm so happy for you!" I burst out, and she threw her arms around me.

"Oh Mikey, I can't believe I forgot you!" she replied.

**JARED'S POV**

I stood at the side, watching the reunion of friends. I guessed that now she remembered everything, I didn't need to be around any more. I had to go home. I waited while they hugged and laughed. Then Will caught my eye and bounced over.

"I can remember! Isn't that great!" she squealed.

"It's awesome."

"You don't sound all that excited," she huffed.

"Well, I have to go home." Her face dropped.

"W-what?" she choked. "Why?"

"Because I was only going to stay here for a while anyway. And I have to go home. My parents, my friends…" Tears were swimming around in her eyes.

"No! You can't leave me!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around my waist and squeezing me tightly. I hugged her back hard.

"I love you Will," I sighed.

"I love you Jay," she bawled. I kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry, I'll see you again at some point soon. You'll have to come to PA or something for a week. We can just chill, you know? Like old times." She nodded, wiping away her tears. "You don't need me as much as you used to now. I mean, just look at the friends you've gained." I pointed at the five boys standing on the other side of the room.

"I guess…" she smiled.

"Look after her, ok?" I asked them. They all nodded. I caught Gee's eye and blushed. He was too cute for words. We had grown attached slightly over the past week and had become friends, but I hated that I hadn't gotten to know him better. Maybe something could have happened between us... "Well, I guess I'd better go pack up my stuff." I walked out of the room into the spare bedroom which I had been my room for the time I had been staying there. I thrust all my stuff into my bag and then went into the bathroom and collected up my tooth brush. When I returned to my room, Gerard was standing in there, flicking through one of my comics that had been sitting on top of my bag.

"You have great taste in comics," he mused, placing the Watchmen comic back down.

"Thanks…" I mumbled, blushing. I placed my tooth brush in my bag and zipped it up.

"You're a really good friend to her, Jared," he said smiling. "She's going to really miss you."

"I know. But my dad's in hospital too, with a heart condition, and I need to go home and be with him." Gerard looked shocked.

"Oh my god! Does Willow know?"

"Yeah she does. His heart problems have been going on for ages. Willow was there when he went into hospital the first time, but it's just getting worse." Poor dad. I sniffed and Gerard pulled me into a hug.

"Sorry to hear that, Jared," he said, rubbing my back. I shivered at his touch and we slowly moved our faces so we could see each other. My breathing got faster and I stared into his eyes. I could sense his nervousness. Very slowly, I placed my lips against his. He was shocked and unsure at first, but then his lips parted and he kissed me back. I ran my tongue over his lips and he returned the favour by running his over mine. The he suddenly stopped. He pushed me away and I saw the realisation and disbelief in his eyes.

"No no no! This isn't me…I'm sorry, I just…don't sway that way!" he rushed. Our cheeks were both a deep red.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" I hurried. He cut me off.

"I need to go," he said embarrassed, and he quickly sped out of the room. I stood there, staring after him. I put my fingers on my lips where Gee had just been.

"Oh my god…" I whispered.

**GERARD'S POV**

Oh my fucking GOD! What had I been thinking! I had kissed…a guy! Why had it felt so good?

"Argh!" I growled as I slammed Jared's door. I composed myself outside the door. I couldn't let on to anyone else that anything 'out of the ordinary' had happened. I walked slowly down the stairs and entered the living room where the others were all sitting and chatting.

"Did he need any help?" Willow piped up. I shook my head and collapsed into an arm chair. I heard Jared come down the stairs. We all looked at him. Well, I didn't exactly meet his eye line.

"Hey, 'm gonna head off, ok?" I stood up along with the others. Willow ran and hugged him. I shuffled my feet and looked at the floor. The only word reeling around in my head was,

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." Frank saw my shaking head and slid over.

"You ok, buddy?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, I'm great! Smashing! What's makes you think otherwise?" I gulped. What the fuck had I just said? 'Smashing?' Frank raised an eyebrow.

"You're….smashing?" he giggled. I punched his arm playfully and glanced over at Jared, who glanced over at me. We both blushed. Unfortunately, Frank had seen our exchange in glances. "So, something happen between you and Jared?" he whispered, still giggling. My blush deepened.

"What the fuck? No!" I growled quietly and pushed him. He fell back over the arm of the sofa and landed on it, chuckling. I frowned at him and moved away. There were hugs all around, and finally it was my turn to say good bye to Jared.

"Erm, so, yeah. Bye. It was nice meeting you," I mumbled, hugging him with little enthusiasm. He patted my back and we broke apart, catching each others eye AGAIN and blushing AGAIN. We both coughed, embarrassed, and we all walked out after Jared to his car where he chucked his stuff into the trunk. He turned to us all.

"It was nice meeting you all." AGAIN WITH THE EYE CATCHING AND BLUSHING. "Hey Will, come here." He held his arms out for one final hug and she willingly sprang into them.

"I'll miss you old buddy, old friend, old pal," she sniffled. He kissed her cheek and climbed into the car.

"I'll miss you too baby," he said through a tight throat. He waved to us. "Bye guys! Hopefully we'll meet again!" And with that he drove off down the road. He was gone. My lips still tingled from the kiss. Aw shit.


	16. Three Tales Of Chemical Romance

**WILLOW'S POV**

I watched as Jared's car turned the corner and disappeared from view. I sniffled and Gee, who was standing the closest to me, pulled me into a hug.

"Don't worry, you have us now!" he said happily.

"Oh _great_…" I sighed sarcastically. They all pulled mock-upset expressions, then laughed. "Nah, I'm kidding. I've grown to love you all." Gee hugged me tighter.

"Right! Band practice!" Mikey exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Why not bring Pansy along?" Frank suggested.  
"OK!" I cried out and dashed inside. I grabbed my gorgeous guitar and ran back downstairs. I stopped at the front door and walked slowly down the steps. I did NOT want to fall over again. I saw Frank's face when he saw Pansy. I saw the jealousy flash in his eyes. I had the feeling that he liked Pansy a lot. I skipped up the path and we walked along to Gee's. We set up and I shoved Pansy in the amp. Although I was not part of the band, they didn't mind me practising with them. After a few Anthrax songs together, I sat holding Pansy and watched as they all played. They all looked so perfect with their instruments.

_And if they get me and the sun goes down into the ground__  
__And if they get me take this spike to my heart and__  
__And if they get me and the sun goes down__  
__And if they get me take this spike and__  
__You put the spike in my heart_

Ah…He was singing about vampires. I giggled, remembering how I had called Gee a vampire earlier that day.

_And if the sun comes up will it tear the skin right off our bones__  
__And then as razor sharp white teeth rip out our necks I saw you there__  
__Someone get me to the doctor, someone get me to a church__  
__Where they can pump this venom gaping hole__  
__And you must keep your soul like a secret in your throat__  
__And if they come and get me__  
__What if you put the spike in my heart__  
_

Gee's voice was so beautiful. Did he know how talented he was? And Frank. He was on the ground belting out his guitar. He was lost in his own world. Sweat was lining his forehead and he was truly going for it. He jumped to his feet and rocked out some more. When they finished the song I clapped loud and whooped. They all blushed.

"You guys have _got _to try to get a gig!" I squealed.

"Geez, we're not _that _good," Gee mumbled.  
"Shut up! You're fucking amazing and you know it!" I growled. They all laughed nervously. "Well, if you're not gonna do it, I'm gonna make some calls!" I yanked my phone out of my pocket and ran out of the garage with them calling after me. I ignored them and stood in the garden, the phone to my ear.

"_Hello, this is Mike from 'The Grill' speaking. How can I help?" _

"Hi, my name's Willow Rush. I was wondering whether my friend's band could possibly get a gig at your place sometime soon?" I crossed my fingers. The back door opened and the guys piled out. I put my finger to my lips as Gee went to say something, and he closed his mouth. They all looked hopeful, yet annoyed at the same time.

"_Well, we do have a special night every Tuesday where new bands can come and perform, if that's ok?" _

"Yes, yes that's perfect!" I squeaked. "Thank you so much!"

"_I'm glad I could help, Miss. Rush. May I ask the name of the band?" _I stopped.

"Erm, hang on a second…" I looked at the guys in despair. I put my hand over the mouth piece. "What's the name of the band?" I pleaded. They all looked at one another.

"We don't have a name yet…" Mikey confessed. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the phone.

"Sorry, but the guys haven't got a name yet," I sighed.

"_That's ok. It was just curiosity any way. We'll see you on Tuesday at…Hang on a sec and I'll tell you the time slot you'll be playing…Erm…9.30pm until 10.00pm? Sound ok?" _I couldn't believe I'd actually booked them a gig.

"That's awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The guys faces lit up.

"_Not a problem. See you then!" _

"Bye!" And the line cut off. I stared at the guys. They stared back at me. "You've got a gig," I announced, breaking the tense silence. They literally exploded.

"Fuck yeah!" Ray whooped. Mikey hugged Bob, who amazingly didn't punch him away, but hugged him back. Gee punched the air and then wrapped his arms around me, lifted me from the floor and spun me around. He kissed my cheeks so many times I couldn't count.

"You're an amazing chick, do you know that?" he said, squeezing me tight.

"I kind of knew," I replied modestly. Then Frank was in my arms. He brought his lips down to mine and kissed me hard. I stuck my tongue in his mouth and began to make out with him. A small choir of coughs and "ahem's" filled the air. It seemed as though we'd never get a kiss that lasted longer than a few seconds. We broke apart but kept our arms wrapped around each other.

"Thank you," Frank whispered in my ear.

**~TUESDAY 9:25pm~**

**FRANK'S POV**

"Shit, shit, shit," Gee was fretting. He was sweating and ringing his hands desperately. He grabbed _another _bottle of beer and downed it.

"Fuck, Gee, stop! You're wasted!" I warned, although my head was spinning too.

"Shut up, Frank, we're all frickin' wasted," Mikey grinned. He was plucking at his bass strings. We all giggled drunkenly.

"Did you guys _REALLY_ have to get so fucking shitfaced?" Willow moaned. I nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"You smeeeell so niiiice," I sighed, sniffing her hair. She pushed me away.

"Well you don't! You _STINK _of alcohol!" she groaned, her nose wrinkling. "For fuck's sake…" She shook her head. "You guys better not screw up. This is your shot!" I reminded them. Gee slammed his bottle down.

"She's fucking right! Gimme that!" he growled snatching a bottle from Ray and throwing it in the bin.  
_"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! OUR NEXT ACT OF THIS EVENING! I GIVE YOU…MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!" _There was a cheer. Mikey smiled as Mike said 'My Chemical Romance.' A few days before, I had been sitting reading 'Three Tales Of Chemical Romance' by Irivine Welsh and enjoying it, when Mikey had snatched the book out of my hands and began reading it.

"What is this shit?" he asked, looking at the blurb.

"Hey shut up! It's good! And careful! You'll lose my place!" I screeched. He looked at the cover.

"'Three Tales of…Chemical Romance? Chemical Romance… Hey…" I rolled my eyes.  
"What, Mikey?" I sighed.

"This…this is good…" he said thoughtfully. I rolled my eyes again.

"Yes, that IS what I just said. It's a good book and-" he put his hand up to stop me talking. I was shocked. How rude.

"No not the book, the NAME." He stared at the cover for AGES. "Chemical Romance…A Tale of Chemical Romance…The Chemical Romance…" he mumbled.

"What the fuck?" I asked. Again with the rudeness of the hand. I slapped it.

"Ouch!" he moaned. Gee walked in humming. He stopped when he saw Mikey with the book.

"Holy shit! It's…it's a miracle! Mikey's _reading_? That's a fucking first!" he chuckled. Mikey gave him the finger. Then he beckoned Gee over.

"Look at this," he pointed at the book title.

"'Three Tales of Chemical Romance'…" Gee read. Then his eyes widened. "Fuck me, that's good." I jumped in my seat.

"What are you two _ON ABOUT_?" I asked anxiously. They ignored me. Rudely.  
"Why not throw a…'My' in front of that?" Mikey suggested. They both stopped. They both looked at each other. Their faces both broke out into the biggest grins I'd EVER seen.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD, MICHAEL JAMES WAY! YOU'RE A FUCKING GENIUS!" Gee erupted. They hugged each other chanting,

"WE'VE GOT A NAME! WE'VE GOT A NAME!" I stood up and growled.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO ON ABOUT!" I screamed. They stopped and hugged me excitedly.  
"We've got a name…" Mikey breathed. "A name for the band!" I squealed.

"TELL ME!" I cried. They stopped.

"MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!" the yelled out in unison. I clapped my hands together.

"Oh my god! That's AMAZING!" I shrieked. We all screamed excitedly together.

"I've got to tell the guys!" Gee announced decidedly.

**GERARD'S POV**

I could hear the buzz of the crowd. I was pissed out of my mind. But I didn't give a shit. I was confident. We walked onto the stage and I waved my hands high in the air.

"Hello! We are My Chemical fucking Romance, and we're here to fuck the shit out of all of you!" I blasted, grabbing the mic. I could hardly see the audience for the darkness, but I knew there were at least fifty people there. "This song… is called 'Cubicles'!" I roared. They cheered. The guys began to play. Oh shit, I felt amazing. This was it. Our shot. I began to sing…

**WILLOW'S POV**

Aside from the drunkenness of them, they played amazingly. Not perfectly like when they were sober, but still awesome. I whooped and raved in the wings. They played six songs in total and came off sweating, swearing and high-fiving each other. They all piled on me with hugs and slurred thank-you's. Frank stumbled off with Mikey and the others, and Gee hugged me again. As he pulled away, his lips brushed against mine. I went into shock. He didn't back away. His lips pushed against mine again and he kissed me. I just stood there, rigid. I didn't know what to make of the situation. I was off his head from the alcohol. My lips parted and we began to make out properly, but me less enthusiastic. Then I regained proper thought and pushed him away gently.

"Gee…" I sighed. He giggled tipsily.

"Sorry," he hiccupped. "Just saying thank you, I guess." I nodded and he put his arm around my shoulder. We walked and caught up behind the guys. The following day, when Gee asked if he had thanked me properly about the gig, I understood he didn't remember the kiss. I decided not to remind him. And I loved Frank. That was all that mattered.


	17. As Snow Falls On Desert Sky

**FRANK'S POV**

The weeks flew by and we got more and more gigs. We were becoming…well…popular in our area. People were recognising us on the streets. Suddenly it was Christmas Eve. We were lounging around in Gee's living room eating mince pies and slurping down alcohol. Gee's mum had put a limit on the amount of alcohol we could each consume and was watching us all with eagle eyes.

"Santa's coming tomorrow!" Mikey said excitedly. Willow giggled and kissed his cheek.

"You're so cute Milky Way," she sighed. His new nickname had been acquired when we had been in a store and Willow had looked from the candy bars to Mikey, and back and forth.

"Your name sounds like Milky Way, did you know that?" she had said, shocked. So that was how Mikey was now called 'Milky Way'. But only by Willow.  
"I know," he said sweetly and kissed her cheek in return. Gee was asleep on the sofa. Evil thoughts ran through my mind. I snuck over to the fridge and found whipped cream. I snuck back over to Gee and squirted lots onto the hand that was hanging off of the sofa. The entire room went quiet. Snorts of laughter escaped a few lips. Then, slowly, I tickled Gee's nose. After a few seconds, he splatted his creamed hand on his face and woke up with a gasp.

"What the fuck?" he spat through a mouthful of cream. The entire room burst out laughing; even his mum and dad were chuckling away.  
"I was making you Santa Claus!" I choked through tears of laughter as I rolled about on the floor. He looked an absolute mess. He growled, but then licked around his mouth and made an 'mmmm' sound. I leant forward, swiped some cream of his face and licked it off of my finger sexually.

"Hot, Iero. Very hot," Gee giggled.

**WILLOW'S POV**

The clock struck quarter to twelve and I yawned.

"I've gotta head home." The others nodded.

"Me too," mumbled a tired, tipsy Frank. Ray, Bob, Frank and I got up, leaving Mikey spread-eagled on the floor and Gee asleep again on the sofa.

"Night kids!" Donald, Gee's dad, whispered. "I hope you've been good this year!" We giggled as we left the house. I gasped when I saw the snow falling. After my fall, apparently the snow had disappeared after a few days.

"Looks like it's gonna be a white Christmas!" Ray chirped.

"I'm dreaming of a whiiiiiiiite Christmas!" Frank sang loudly.

"Just like the one's I used to knoooooooow," Bob joined in.

"Where the tree tops glisten, and children listen, to hear sleigh bells in the snooooow," I chimed in. We laughed and hugged goodbye. Ray and Bob clambered into Bob's car. Ray hadn't been drinking so it was all safe. Frank took my hand and he swung my arm as he walked me home. When we reached my door, he spun me around and kissed me. We kissed passionately for about five minutes on my doorstep until a far away church clocked chimed midnight.

"Merry Christmas," Frank whispered.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered back. I kissed his lips. "Good night. See you later." He nodded and hugged me tight. I watched as he walked down the road, and waved when he turned to look back. Oh, how I loved him. I opened the door and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. I shut the door quietly and crept up stairs. I heard mum snoring gently in her room and fell softly on to my bed. I crawled into my pyjamas, took off my make-up and snuggled down under my covers and almost instantly fell asleep.

**~THE FOLLOWING DAY, 12 noon ~**

**MIKEY'S POV**

The door opened and we all bustled in to Willow's house. 'Merry Christmases' were exchanged all round. The smell of roast turkey filled the air. Dad and Mum were with us too, as were Frank's parents. Luckily, all our parents had befriended Jenny so nothing was awkward.

"We come bearing gifts!" my mum laughed.

"Oh, just pop them down by the tree in the other room," Jenny replied. I saw Frank's nose wrinkle at the meaty aroma.

"Come on, you can't hate _that _smell!" Ray sighed. Frank pulled a disgusted face. Jenny overheard our conversation and patted Frank's back.

"Don't worry honey. I've made a special meal for you." Frank blushed. Soppy sod. We walked into the living room where it was ablaze with Christmas lights. The tree stood proudly in the corner, adorned with candy canes, lights, tinsel and on top sat a silver star. I smiled. I did love Christmas. It was such a feel-good time of year. I heard a squeak of excitement from the top of the stairs. I looked up and my jaw dropped. Willow was wearing a skin-tight, sexy red dress with a huge black belt around her waist, her hair was curled softly and she was sporting a Santa hat. She looked drop-dead_ gorgeous. _I glanced at the others who wore the same expression as I did. She skipped down the stairs and flung her arms around Frank's neck, kissing him sweetly. Then she hugged and kissed the rest of us.

"Merry Christmas!" she chirped happily. I couldn't, however much I tried, advert my eyes from her. Especially her ass… That was, until Frank punched me. Kindly of course.

"Would you _stop _checking out my girlfriend?" he sighed. I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. It's not my fault she's hot," I replied plainly, earning another soft punch. I giggled and licked my lips as bowls of potato chips and other scrumptious foodstuffs were handed around. Yum.

**WILLOW'S POV**

Frank came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You look amazing," he said softly. I turned my head and kissed him.

"Why thank you," I replied, grinning. I looked about and a warmth ran through me. The scene that I saw was so happy and jolly. But something was missing. Some_one _was missing.

_Jared _was missing.

**~2 HOURS LATER~**

We were all stuffed like Christmas turkey from the spread my mum had made. She'd worked so hard at it, bless her. And it all paid off in the end. Everyone loved it, and was satisfied. We were now all in the living room, eagerly awaiting the giving of the gifts. The adults did theirs first, so it got the boring shit out of the way. Then WE got to give each other OUR presents. It turned out that Ray and Bob had teamed together to give me my present. I ripped it open.

"Oh my god, a GameCube! Guys that's so awesome!" I hugged them tightly and collapsed back onto my ass. Wow… I gave Ray his, an original Atari. He was so excited. Ok, so it's gonna take me ages to list all the things that people got. Let's just say mine. I got some new black converse from Mikey – he had heard me complaining how my old ones were giving me blisters. Bob got me the new Queen album which I had been dying to get and had been saving up for. Gee got me a collection of my favourite horror films. Frank was last to give me my present. It was a little box.

"Oh God, it's not an engagement ring, is it?" Mikey moaned sarcastically. Frank punched him. I tore open the gift wrap, and inside the box was a necklace. On the necklace was a little silver guitar.  
"Aw, thank you babe!" I said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Look at the guitar closer," Frank advised, avoiding my lips cheekily. I squinted down at it and noticed that along the edge of the guitar, in the exact same lettering as my guitar, it read 'Pansy'. It was so perfect. I jumped up and kissed him.

"Oh Frank, it's so…wonderful." I was lost for words. "Wait, I'll get your present." I handed him a box and a card. He opened he card.

"What's 'ex ex'?" he asked.

"Oh. I guess I thought it was more original than 'xoxo'" He laughed.

"You're so weird sometimes," he giggled. I frowned and he frowned back mockingly, then kissed the top of my head. He tore open the wrapping and gasped. "No way! The complete collection of Michael Jackson! AWESOME!" He bent down and kissed my lips, and didn't stop kissing me until the array of coughs started up again. So the day went on, full of mulled wine, carols, laughter, and joy. It was the best Christmas I'd ever had. ESPECIALLY when later that evening, someone special knocked at the door.


	18. We're Just Two Men As God Had Made Us

**JARED'S POV**

I knocked on the door, shivering. The snow was _still _falling, and darkness had fallen. I rubbed my gloved hands together and I hugged myself. It was _freezing_! The door opened and light flooded the front porch. When Jenny opened the door I immediately put my finger to my lips. Her eyes were wide but she nodded. I crept in and hung my scarf on the hat stand and placed my coat and gloves down. There was a loud buzz of voices in the living room. I heard Willow laugh. I smiled, and peered around the wall. They were all in there, by the tree, sitting and chatting and laughing. Will had her back to me. Their parents were doing the same, but they were sitting on the sofa and on the arm chairs. No one spotted me. I held their presents behind my back and walked in. Frank and Mikey saw me but I put my finger to my lips again. Immediately they turned back to their conversation, to keep my presence hidden. I came up behind Will and squatted down. Like a ninja, I grabbed her around the waist, lifted her up and span her round. I knew the look she'd have on her face – shock. She twisted around in my arms and squealed in delight.  
"Oh my…JARED!" she cried out, flinging her arms around my neck and kissing me all over my face.  
"Baby!" I squeaked and kissed her back.

"I can't believe you're here! Oh this has just made the day more perfect!" I hugged her tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too! Oh come sit, sit!" she beckoned, and plonked herself onto the floor beside Frank. I realised that my spot was next to Gee. I sat down and tried not to catch his eye.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Hey," he muttered.

"Merry Christmas, by the way!" I exclaimed.

"Merry Christmas!" they all cheered in unison.  
"Oh, Will, guys, here." I handed them each an envelope and smiled when their faces lit up.  
"Oh Jared! Thank you! Hey, did you get my present in the mail?" Will asked. I nodded.

"Yeah! Thanks! It's great!" I rooted around in my bag and yanked out my new Misfits hoodie. "Here it is!" She clapped her hands together.  
"Oh, I'm so glad you like it!" she squeaked. Their gifts were still unopened in their hands.  
"Well? Open them!" I reminded them. They ripped at the paper. Gasped filled the air.

"Oh my-oh my GOD!" Mikey shrieked.

"F-U-C-K," Gee gasped, his jaw dropping.

"NO WAY!" Will whooped.  
"BLACK FLAG TICKETS?" Frank burst out, amazed and excited.

"Yep," I said plainly, then laughed. Ray and Bob were both lost for words.

"How the-how the fucking hell did you afford all these?" Mikey choked. I shrugged and blushed.

"His parents are frickin' loaded," Willow admitted. My blush deepened. She saw my embarrassment. "Sorry honey…" I shook my head.

"No, no, don't worry." The guy's eyes were wide and unblinking.  
"No fucking way…" Gee murmured.

**GERARD'S POV**

I didn't know what to think. My favourite band…I was going to one of their concerts…Holy shiiiit. Excitement was bubbling up inside me. The date was set for the fifteenth of January. Just a few weeks away. I grabbed Jared and hugged him. Then realised what I'd done. I pulled away.

"So yeah, thanks, this is awesome," I coughed, avoiding his gaze, but instead met Frank's eyes. He gave me a confused look, and also the 'I'll be talking to you about what's going on, later,' look. I rolled my eyes and lay back on the floor. The Christmas tree was twinkling over my head. I could hear them all talking fervently about the gig. My body was demanding nicotine and I had been fighting the urges all fucking evening. I had finally reached the moment where I couldn't bear it any longer.

"I'll be right back…" I sighed, and hoisted myself to my feet. Not that any of them were paying the slightest bit of attention to me. I left the room and when the blast of freezing air hit my face when I opened the door, I slammed it shut again.

"Shit." I grabbed my thick, warm jacket, my skeleton gloves (which were my love), my scarf and my beanie hat. I braved the sharp sting of the cold and shut the back door behind me. I lit up a cigarette and stared out across the garden. It was smaller than mine, but cosy. There was a little shed in the bottom right hand corner, and a frozen pond over to the left. I suddenly had an image of what summer would be like – us just chilling in Willow's garden, pints of beer and laughter. I smiled. Then the door opened and a wrapped-up Frank walked out, his face wincing at the cold. He too lit up and puffed away.

"So," he suggested. He was breaking the ice.

"So….what?" I sighed.

"What's going on, Gee?" he asked. I gulped. Oh, shit shit shit.

"What do you mean 'what's going on'? Nothing's 'going on.'" I could feel myself getting nervous.

"You know, those funny looks you and Jared are constantly giving each other? The blushes? What happened to 'best friends tell each other everything?"

"I don't know…what you're talking about…" But my pause had given me away.

"You're lying to me Gerard Way. Tell me the truth." He stood there, waiting, staring me down.

"I-I-I kissed him…Well, he kissed me, and then I kissed him back,"

"Gee,"

"but then I was like 'SHIT' and ran away."

"Gee!"

"I'm not gay, I'm not! I was just curious and-"

"Gee! It's ok! I'm not gonna judge you!" Frank cried out, cutting me off. I blushed and took another drag of the cigarette. "It's happened, and there's nothing you can do about it. But, do you have…feelings for him?" He looked at me, sincerity in his eyes.

"No. I don't have anything but friendship to offer him. I'm not gay. It's just…awkward, you know." Frank nodded, and took a swig of his beer. We had all been drinking all day, and were all slightly tipsy. We could explain the series of events which occurred next.

"You know, there is a way to determine if you _are _gay or not," Frank said suggestively. I cocked my head to one side.

"What? How?" I asked wonderingly.

"This," was all he said before his lips were on mine. Electricity shot through my body. Frank's lips moved against my own. I kissed him back, willing for more. It seemed he did too. Suddenly I felt his tongue. My hands slid up his sides and I held the back of his head, pulling him closer. Suddenly we broke apart and he wiped his mouth.

"So…did you feel anything? Cos if you did, it means your gay, or have feelings towards men," he said, and I heard him gulp. Holy shit, it had been amazing.

"Nope. Nothing." I lied.

"Me too…Nothing. Guess that means you're still straight," he replied, distractedly. I nodded. But deep down, I knew. I was fucking BI! Oh shit.

**FRANK'S POV**

Oh my…Gerard. That was…incredible. But NO ONE COULD EVER KNOW. It had felt so good.

"So…did you feel anything? Cos if you did, it means your gay, or have feelings towards men," I told him. Oh shit. I had felt…something. What did that MEAN?

"Nope, nothing," he said almost confidently.

"Me too…Nothing. Guess that means you're still straight," I replied. But I certainly wasn't. From that moment on, I was bi, but only for Gee.


	19. Counteracts The Booze I'm Drinking

**~6 DAYS LATER – NEW YEARS EVE~**

**WILLOW'S POV**

I closed my eyes. Gee's voice floated into my ear drums.

"_And you can cry all you want to, I don't care how much_

_You'll invest yourself in me, we're not working out,_

_We're not working out._

_And you can't touch my brother and you can't keep my friends,_

_And we're not working out, we're not working out._

_This time I mean it, never mind the times I've seen it."_

I opened my eyes again and looked up at the stage. Gee was lost in his song, but if I had been sitting any closer, I would have been overpowered by the stench of alcohol wafting off of the musicians onstage. They always got drunk before each gig – it was sort of customary. And plus, being New Years Eve, they had decided to get even _more _shitfaced. But aside from that, they were playing well. The size of the crowd had grown immensely since their first gig. Word of mouth had made My Chemical Romance even more popular. Frank caught my eye and winked, making me blush. Then he turned back to his guitar properly. He was so incredible at it. Sweat was lining all their brows as the played as hard as they possibly could. Gee suddenly lunged forward with the mic on the stage, and a few new fan girls squealed. I rolled my eyes. For fuck's sake. Frank collapsed onto his knees and belted out the tune. I just couldn't believe he was mine. All mine. I realised that the song was going to end soon and made my way through the busy crowd. Ray, Frank and Mikey strummed their last notes, and Bob smacked his sticks on the drums on last time. Gee closed his mouth and smiled widely. The small crowd erupted with screams and cheers and whoops. I did too. I pushed my way to the front, and beamed up at them. They all grinned down at me. Frank jumped down off of the stage and went to go to me, but a skinny, blonde, bimbo Barbie put her hand on his chest and stopped him. His eyes widened and he looked at her. She said something I didn't hear, then gripped his tee-shirt tightly and pulled his lips down to hers.

"Bitch" I growled, and tore my way through the crowd to them. But Frank wasn't pushing her away. Rage boiled up inside me. I shrieked and grabbed the blonde shit's shoulders. I pulled her off, and slapped her hard on her face.

"Get you fucking face off of my boyfriend!" I snarled, and seized her by the collar. She clawed at me with her pointy, sharp fake nails. Two security men pulled us apart and I hissed. She spat. She gave me evils before turning dramatically on her heel and strutting away with her girlfriends. I breathed out hard. So did Frank. Then I growled again and turned on him.

"You!" I spat at his feet. He put his hands up in defence.

"I didn't know-I didn't want-I-" he stuttered.

"You didn't even push her away!" I yelled. His eyes were wide.

"I'm sorry! I was…stunned!" he quickly apologised. "Nothing like that's ever happened before!" I frowned. He pulled his puppy dog eyes. I sighed.

"For fuck's sake. Fine. But if you EVER let that happen again…" He shook his head vigorously.

"Never ever will I let it happen. I love you too much to let it happen." My jaw dropped. It was the first time that Frank had said he actually loved me. I was touched. His eyes flicked about the room, embarrassed as he realised what he'd said. I threw my arms around his neck.

"Oh Frank, I love you too!" I cried, and kissed him. His warm tongue mingled with mine, and he stuck it in deeper into my mouth. This time, no one coughed or told us to 'get a room'. Everyone else was too busy with their chats and their friends. I pushed him against the wall, and ran my hands up his chest. He trembled beneath my touch. I smiled as we kissed. He moved his hands up and down my sides, and then ran them through my hair. It felt good. Very good.  
"Oh Frank," I sighed passionately. He kissed me harder, and then span me around so I was against the wall. My hands slid over his back. I realised that people were beginning to look. "Come on," I whispered, and we crept down a deserted corridor, hand in hand. We found a very small room that obviously belonged to the cleaner – it was full of cleaning fluids, dusters, brooms and mops. Not that I cared. Our lips found each other again instantly and he had me up against the wall again. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He held me up and I kissed him hard. Our breathing got harder and faster, and sweat was beginning to bead down my forehead. Frank's hand explored my body beneath my tee-shirt, making me sigh and gasp. It all felt amazing. He kissed my neck and then my chest. But I couldn't let it go further than this. Not in a store cupboard. I let him come back up to my lips before I giggled and leant my nose against his.

"Frank," I sighed as he went to kiss me again. I put my finger to his lips. "Not here. I want it to be…special…" I blushed very, very deeply. So did Frank.  
"I wasn't gonna make you-I understand-I want it to be special too." I brought my lips down to his again. Suddenly the door opened.

"Oh! Ah, sorry," Mikey said, shielding his eyes and blushing. "Erm, I was, erm, told to look for you guys, erm, we're going home," he coughed and ran away. We giggled. I slid down and we walked hand in hand out of the store room and into the cold night air. The guys were chuckling at Mikey who seemed slightly scarred.

"Sorry Mikey," I mumbled. He nodded feebly and we climbed into Ray's car. Seeing as it was only a five seater, and as there were six of us, I had to sit on Frank's lap. But Frank seemed reluctant to let me sit down.

"What's wrong Frank?" I asked worriedly. He was flushing a deep shade of red. "Look, I'm just gonna sit down." As I did so, I felt something…hard beneath my ass. "I do hope that's your belt," I said quietly. Gee overheard and roared with laughter. Unfortunately, the others had heard too and the car was immediately rocking with laughter. Poor Frank.

"Oh shut up, you fucktards," Frank hissed and tried not to catch my eye. "I can't help the fact that she's hot!" I blushed.

"Ha! Hot?" I wish. They stopped laughing as much.  
"Willow, you're fucking _gorgeous_!" Frank exclaimed.

"Honestly?" I was getting happier and happier.

"Ch'yeah! You're a doll!" Gee said, patting my thigh. He took a swig from his beer. We were all a bit drunk. The guys mostly. I slapped his hand playfully and Ray began to drive. All the while I could feel…Frank beneath me. I giggled and he tensed at my sudden movement. That made me giggled more.

"Er, stop moving!" he begged, making the other laugh even more than they had been. The clock said 10:07pm. Two hours until midnight, and a party in between. I was so excited. And so was Frank…I could feel it. I chuckled to myself causing Frank to tense up again. The laughter sprang up again, but the joy couldn't last when blue lights flashed behind us and a siren flared up. Oh fuck.


	20. Come With Your Arms Raised High

**RAY'S POV**

Oh shit!  
"Everyone, hide the beer!" Mikey cried out and there was a massive scuffle in the back as they all hid the alcohol. Would we pass? Probably not. The police car made me pull over.

"Fuck…" Gee swore. I sat quietly, staring at the steering wheel. The cop slowly walked over to my window, bent down and tapped on the glass. I opened it.

"Evening kids. Just wanted to check on you." He looked into the back of the car. "So there are six of you in a five seat car? That's not safe _or _clever, now, is it?" He shook his head. "I also pulled you guys over because you were swaying about on the road a bit. Can I just ask you to get out, sonny?" I gulped. Patronising fuck. I opened the door and shakily got out. The police man put his hand on my shoulder and put a breath tester in front of me. I did what I had to do, and waited nervously. It beeped. "So had a fun party, did we? Damn, you've been drinking quite a bit tonight, hm?" Oh fuck. "Drink driving at _your _age? Can I ask how old you are, son?" I gulped.

"17…" He shook his head again.

"So not even old enough to be drinking. Right, all of you. Out of the car." We all poured out of the car. Gee stood swaying. In fact, we all did. "Ok. So I'm going to take you all down to the station, and you're gonna be spending the night in jail unless someone bails you out. This is NOT impressive. It's also New Years Eve! Now you won't be celebrating, will you?" We all hung our heads in shame. There was no way of getting out of this one. Another cop got out of the cop car and walked over to me.

"Right, lad, I'll need the keys for your car, and your address."

**GERARD'S POV**

We all stood about, shuffling our feet. I coughed nervously. This was the shittiest of the shits. The cop walked along in front of us, shining a torch in our eyes.

"Damn. You're all out of it, aren't you?" he said, disappointed. He whipped out his phone and dialled a number. He told another cop of our whereabouts and that they needed an extra car. "Right. Three of you – in the car with me. Another car will be along soon to pick the rest of you up. Stay here with Paul." He pointed at his fellow cop. Mikey, Bob and Ray shuffled forward. They staggered into the car and looked at us with sad eyes. Shittie shittie shit. They drove off and we stood, swaying, looking at our feet. None of us had anything to say. The cop had a disapproving look. Soon, a new car pulled up and a tired, greying policeman got out.

"Had a fun night kids?" he huffed sarcastically. We mumbled a "yes" back. He shook his head and tutted. "Right. Into the car." We got in and he drove us to the station. We sat in silence for the entire journey. We pulled up and got taken into the holding cells. Ray, Bob and Mikey sat behind bars, watching us as we came in. "Three more for you, Nigel!" the old cop chuckled. "Had a fun night, these lot have! But not any more!" I scowled. Prick. They opened the cell door and shut it behind us. We all sat down. The first cop we had met came up to the bars and sat down at a seat.

"Ok, so you," he pointed at Ray, "after drink driving, will be banned from driving for a year." Ray's mouth fell open.  
"But I-" he began, but the police man put his hand up to stop him talking.

"No buts. It's how the legal system works. And also - and this is for the rest of you as well – If you want to take this up with the courts and fight the case, then that's your problem. But if you can't be arsed to deal with that crap, you've got to pay a $200 fine for underage drinking." _All_ of our jaws dropped then. $200? Holy fuck.

**WILLOW'S POV**

Crap. $200. My mum's gonna KILL me!

"When do we get our phone call?" I asked timidly. The cop looked straight at me.  
"Oh yeah. Well, step right this way, one at a time, and make your call." I gulped and followed the cop out of the cell and picked up the rusty receiver.

"_Hello?"_

"…"

"_Hello, is anyone there?" _she asked nervously.

"Mum, please don't be angry with me…" I quivered.

"_Willow Rush, what have you done?" _she asked more serious and angry.

"I'm, erm, at the local police station…"

"_Oh my…God. What the HELL are you doing there? What's happened?" _she sounded livid yet worried all at the same time.

"Ray got caught…drink driving. And we all got caught…underage drinking…" There was a pause. Then she exploded.

"_THAT IS IT YOUNG LADY! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR… FOREVER! I AM COMING DOWN TO THAT STATION AND TAKING YOU HOME. IN FACT THEY'LL PROBABLY TREAT YOU NICER IN JAIL THAN I'M GOING TO BE TREATING YOU WHEN YOU GET HOME!" _She slammed the phone down. I winced. The entire room had just heard my mother's eruption. But no one laughed. The phone calls continued, and it turned out that my mum wasn't the only one to react in such a way – all the parents did. Finally they were all there, glaring and tapping their feet angrily. They had to pay bail too - $100. That made them all even MORE furious.  
"$300 fucking dollars for this, Gerard Arthur Way. And you! Michael, look at me when I'm speaking to you!" Donna snarled. They both stood there, their heads hanging. My mother strutted towards me after paying the bail, clamped her hand hard on my arm and dragged me away. I looked behind me at the others, who waved sadly. I waved back and mum pulled me out into the cold night air. She was mumbling irately under her breath, and she literally threw me in the car. Tears had already sprung to my eyes. I'd never seen my mum so mad. I felt a barrier between us. I sniffed. She slammed her door shut and began to drive. She glared out onto the road and didn't even glance at me when she obviously realised I had begun bawling.

"Do you realise how much you've cost me tonight? $300! You should be ashamed of yourself. And it's New Years Eve! How could Ray even be so STUPID!"

"Don't blame Ray!" I retorted defensively. "We should have all not let him drive, so it's all our fault!"

"It certainly is all your fault. I've never been as appalled by your behaviour as I have tonight." I let the tears run down my face more. Her fists were clenched over the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white. She pulled up outside our house and quick-marched me inside.  
"Go straight to your room. You're not going to that party. That's part of your punishment for being so down right reckless. No New Years celebrations for YOU!" I sobbed as I ran upstairs to my room, and shut the door hard. I locked it and collapsed on my bed. This. Was. So. Unfair. I cried myself to sleep.

**~SOME TIME LATER~**

Something was tapping my window. I heard it through my sleep. I blinked awake and looked at the clock. 11:17pm. Still not the new year. But what the fuck was at my window? I was shitting myself. I slowly crept over to the window and glanced out. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Frank, Gee, Mikey, Ray and Bob standing below in my front garden, and Frank reading himself to aim another stone. Luckily he saw me before he threw it. I opened my window.

"Hey!" I whispered.

"Hey, you allowed out?" Gee whispered back. I shook my head.

"I'm fucking grounded!" I growled.  
"Is your mum in?"

"Yeah?"

"We're coming up?" I gasped.

"No! She'll hear you!" I shout-whispered. But they ignored me. There was a trellis against the side of my house that ran up to my bedroom window. They climbed up and fell through the window and into my room. We all stopped as we listened for my mum's footsteps. Nothing. They each had some sort of food item and drink item (non-alcoholic).

"We thought we'd have our own little celebration!" Mikey whispered excitedly. I grinned and threw my arms around them.

"I love you guys so much!"

**FRANK'S POV**

We sat in a little circle in the middle of Willow's room. We put the food and drink in the centre and tried to be a silent as possible. Every thing said was kept to a whisper. Willow leant her head against my shoulder and yawned.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"11:45pm" I replied. "If you're that tired, go to sleep!" She sat up defiantly.  
"No! I'm going to stay up and see the new year even if it kills me!" I chuckled. So determined. But she couldn't help herself yawning again. We ate and drank and chatted quietly. Suddenly, before we knew it, the countdown began. Bob had a watch on that let us count the seconds.

"10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-HAPPY NEW YEAR!" we whisper-cheered, and the fireworks began to explode outside. Then I realised there had been someone missing during the count-down. I looked at Willow to find her fast asleep. I chuckled again. After being so determined to stay awake, she had fallen asleep.

"Here, help me get her into bed," I asked Gee. He nodded and we carefully lifted her onto it. Mikey had pulled back the covers, and Ray pulled the back up to her chin. She squirmed about and then settled down. "We should get going," Bob suggested. We all nodded in agreement. I turned to Willow and planted a kiss on her forehead. I stroked her hair.

"Happy New Year," I whispered softly.


	21. Have You Heard The News That Your Dead?

**WILLOW'S POV**

Day time TV was just shit. In every possible way. I yawned, switched off the television and looked around the room. I was so god damn bored. And all my friends were busy. Mikey and Gee were visiting their Grandma, Bob was fishing with his dad, Ray was out with his older brother and Frank was having lunch out with his grandparents. I sighed and made my way to the kitchen where I flicked on the kettle. I pulled out my Batman mug and prepared my coffee – black, one sugar. Mmm. I smacked my lips. I was still grounded, and New Years Eve had happened a week previously. I was tired of being stuck at home. My mum was at work, so luckily, for now, I didn't have to pass her around the house. She had hardly spoken to me since the…incident. I hated being so distant from my mum. I slid onto a chair and wrapped my hands around my warm mug. It was freezing outside, and our heating system wasn't anything special. I sat shivering, pulling my dressing gown tighter around myself. I was about to sip my coffee when the door bell rang, making me jump and spill hot liquid partly onto the table, and partly onto myself.

"Shit! Ouch!" I hissed, and walked into the hallway rubbing my arm. I wrenched open the door and Frank stood in front of me.

"Oh, hey!" I said, surprised. "I thought you were out with you grandparents?"

"Turns out that they forgot Grandpa had a hospital appointment today, so we had to reschedule. Mind if I come in?"

"Of course I don't mind! You're my fucking boyfriend!" He chuckled.

"Well, you might have had some other guy hidden in your room, especially judging from the way you're dressed." I glanced down. I was in a black silk dressing gown and…that was it. It was tied, obviously. And of course I was wearing underwear. But all the same, my cheeks flushed red.  
"I couldn't be fucked to get changed today. And no one is hidden. Don't you trust me, Frank?" I batted my eye lashes sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around me.

"Of _COURSE_ I trust you!" he sighed. I giggled and pressed my lips against his. He responded eagerly and kicked the front door shut with his foot, not breaking our kiss. Suddenly, it got very heated and passionate. We moved around the house, kissing with a fire and his hands exploring my body. I sighed. He sighed. Finally we collapsed on the stairs and he began to untie my dressing gown. Thank _GOD_ I had worn my sexy underwear. Black lace bra and knickers with little red bows. I began to tremble. Was I ready for this? Frank certainly was. Fuck it, of course I was ready! Frank was my world, and I wanted him forever. This had to happen at some point, so why not now? It was then that he pulled off my dressing gown. He gawped at my body and I blushed. I leant forward and pulled off his shirt. I stared at his toned stomach and chest.

"You're hot, Frank Iero," I said, subdued by his body. He giggled.  
"So are you. Very, very hot." I blushed yet again and his lips were on mine once more. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his back. He carried me upstairs into my room and we fell onto the bed. He kissed my neck, my chest and then my stomach. His tongue worked wonders against my skin. I sighed passionately. I rolled on top of him and kissed the nape of his neck lovingly. I stroked his chest ever so gently, making him shiver. Soon his pants were on the floor and we rolled about on the bed, sighing, kissing and touching. I was so ready. I was so caught up in the moment that I hadn't heard the front door open and close downstairs.

"Why is your dressing gown just strewn on the stairs? And…who's t-shirt is this? Willow Rush…ANSWER ME NOW AND BRING DOWN WHOEVER YOU HAVE UP THERE!" ….OH SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT!

**JENNY'S POV**

It was Frank. It had to be. She wouldn't cheat on him, they were too in love. This had been bound to happen at some point, but I just couldn't bear to think that my baby was grown up enough to have…sex. I heard a shuffle upstairs. What if I had been too late? What if they had already done it? Silence throughout the house.

"Willow! NOW!" I growled. I heard her door open. She walked down fully clothed and hand in hand with Frank, who was topless. He avoided my glare. She paid no attention to me as she picked up her dressing gown, handed Frank's t-shirt to him and waited for him to put it on.

"Explain yourselves!" I demanded.

"There's nothing to explain," she replied bluntly.  
"Oh, there is EVERYTHING to explain. What were you two doing?"

"Shut up," she retorted spitefully.

"How DARE you? How DARE YOU tell me to shut up? I'm you're mother and you do not speak to me like that!" I snarled.

"You're anything but a mother! If you were a mother you'd respect your legally-aged daughter's privacy! Just because you didn't get laid until you were in your twenties doesn't mean that you should take it out on me! And also, I'm so sorry that I had drink or two on New Years Eve, but if you do recall, I was _conceived_ on your _16__th__ birthday_ when you were pissed out of your fucking _mind_!" I was shocked. And totally appalled.

"That's it. Give me that concert ticket. You're not going!" I snapped.

"No way! Fuck you!" she screamed at me. She grabbed her bag from the side which I knew had the ticket in, her jacket and her gloves. She pulled Frank hurriedly out of the house. My jaw dropped. Oh she was in the deepest, deepest shit.

**FRANK'S POV**

"You're dead, do you know that?" I warned her as we jogged along the sidewalk.

"I don't care. She's a fucking bitch!" she spat and she slowed to a walk as we reached the end of our street. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Aw, Willow, honey! Don't cry!" I stopped her and hugged her tightly. She cried softly into my shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the park," I suggested. She nodded woefully. I slid my arm around her shoulder and we had a slow walk to the local park, where we found a large tree and sat beneath it. The weather was freezing, and Willow was shivering, even in a coat. "Are you ok?" I asked, hugging her tighter. She mumbled a "yes" but I was unconvinced. I kissed the top of her head. "What _are _we going to do with you, Willow Rush?" I sighed.

"Kill me, before my mother does," she sniffled. I rolled my eyes.

"That's not really an option."

"Make it one then," she replied more defiantly. She looked up at me and I saw the sadness in her eyes. She glanced back down at the floor. "I didn't mean to say all those things to her." New, fat tears dripped off of her eyelashes.

"I know, I know," I cooed. She leant her head against me and closed her eyes. I felt her sobs against my chest.

We sat almost silent in the park for around an hour. Finally, I helped her to her to her feet. Her face was pink and blotchy from the crying. I took her hand and we walked out of the park.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"A bit better. I need to go home and apologise to my mum though." I nodded. "I was such a bitch…" I was about to speak when I noticed blue lights flashing at the end of the street. An ambulance and a police car were in the centre of the road.

"Oh shit, I wonder what's happened?" she said wonderingly. We walked along, craning our necks to catch a glimpse of the scene. A car had hit someone. The body was lying in a pool of blood on the tarmac. But as we drew closer, a cold chill ran through my body. I saw the face… a face very similar to...

"MUM!" Willow screamed, and detached her hand from mine. She ran, pushed through the small crowd, and dropped at her mother's side. I ran behind her and the sight that met my eyes made me nearly hurl. Jenny lay in the street, covered in blood. Her limbs were at odd and sickening angles. Her eyes were vacant and stained, staring blankly into oblivion. I was frozen. I felt gentle hands on my shoulders as a police woman pulled me away from the horrific sight. A police man held Willow back from the body, but she writhed and scratched against his grip. Tears flooded from her eyes. She kept screaming and crying out for her mother. But it was too late. She was dead.


	22. A CemeteryDriven Nightmare

**WILLOW'S POV**

No. This isn't real. It's all just a horrific nightmare that I will wake up from eventually.

**GERARD'S POV**

Willow was sitting on the chair staring blankly at the floor. Her eyes were wide and gormless. She looked completely drained of life. She looked broken. Frank sat silently beside her – he had been scarred by the sight of Jenny dead on the floor. I didn't know what to say. I knew there were no words to help comfort Willow – words wouldn't bring her mother back. The doctor had officially announced Jenny's death an hour ago. She had been hit by a speeding car as she had crossed the road, and she'd received gruesome injury both inside and out. She'd bled to death. Upon receiving a text from a jittery Frank about the accident, Mikey and I had excused ourselves from our Granma's company. We raced back to both he and Willow's side. I looked back at Willow in time to see her eyes roll and her body fall forward. I went to go to her aid but wasn't fast enough to catch her, and she collided with the floor.

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Willow! Willow, honey, wake up!" I heard a familiar but worried voice call through my unconscious. It drifted into my ears and gradually got louder and louder. I blinked open my eyes.

"Is it all over? Is my mum ok? Did she really die, or was it a nightmare?" I begged. Frank, Mikey and Gerard looked at each other solemnly. Tears stung my eyes. "No…" I breathed, and Gerard, who was holding me, hugged me tight.

"I'm so sorry, babe," he whispered. I shuddered with sobs. My mother was dead. I would never see her again. The last thing I had said to her was "fuck off." I hadn't even had a chance to apologise.

"I hate myself," I bawled. "I'm such a mother fucking BITCH!" I screamed the last word. They all shook their heads.

"No! You're not a bitch!" Mikey told me defiantly. But I knew I was. I had said such horrible, horrible things. I pushed myself off of Gerard.

"I-can't-do-this," I breathed through my sobs. I span on my heel and ran out of the hospital, leaving the three boys standing there shocked. Then realisation must have hit them because I heard quick footsteps and them calling after me. But I ignored them and ran as fast as I could. I threw myself into the forest next to the hospital and just kept running. I couldn't stop. I needed to escape this. Escape everything.

**FRANK'S POV**

We followed her as fast as we could. But when we reached the front of the hospital, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where the fuck did she go?" Gerard demanded. I looked around desperately.

"She could have gone anywhere!" I groaned, my eyes scanning the parking lot and then the forest.  
"Let's split up. Frank, you take the parking lot. Gee, you take the back of the hospital. I'll take the forest," Mikey said, new leadership ringing in his voice. We all agreed and went our separate ways.

**WILLOW'S POV**

My chest and sides were throbbing from all the running, but I made myself carry on. I deserved any pain I got. My mother had died on her way to find me. I'm sure that was what she had been out on that street for. I was the reason she had died.

"ARGH!" I screamed at myself, and finally leant against a tree to take a breath. I began walking, and thrust my hands deep into my jacket pockets. Tears stained my face. My make-up was probably all over the place, but did I care? Not one fucking bit. I trudged through the undergrowth and finally the trees thinned and I came across a very small church. I had walked into the cemetery – how ironic. I tried not to look at the crumbling tomb stones, but I couldn't help it. More tears welled up in my eyes and I dropped down to the floor in fits of tears. I leant against a tomb stone and bawled my eyes out. "Why did you have to die?" I cried up to the skies. I noticed a bottle lying on the grass nearby. I grabbed it and smashed it against a rock. The sharp edges of the broken glass glinted at me invitingly. What would be the harm in just ending myself too? I could be with my mum – I could finally apologise. But could I bring myself to do it? To place the glass against my wrist and slice? I shuddered, but slowly lowered it down to my bare wrist. I just wanted it to be over. I couldn't live without my mummy. "Mummy…" I whispered. I pulled the glass across my vein and felt the jagged edge rip into my flesh. It hurt like hell, but I kept going. Blood spilled over the grass and I felt my life drain away with it. I heard something rustle in the bushes nearby and an exclamation of "fucking hell!" I ignored it.

"I love you, Frank," I managed weakly, before everything went black.

**MIKEY'S POV **

"Ow," I moaned as a branch scraped my face. I pushed it out of the way and walked in a random direction. Knowing my luck, I would end up getting lost. I had no idea where I was going. Finally, after a while, I found a grim looking church. "Great. Now I'll probably have to spend the night in a flipping grave yard," I groaned, looking up at the darkening sky. I pushed through the bushes and caught my knee on a hidden tomb stone. "Fucking hell!" I exclaimed angrily. I looked about. It was silent. Then I saw a converse shoe and a leg that I recognised behind a grave. Then I saw the wrist drop and nearly fainted. Blood was…everywhere. "NO!" I screamed, horrified, and ran to her side. She was deathly pale, and her blood was thick on the grass. She wasn't moving.


	23. Someone Get Me To The Doctor

**GERARD'S POV**

I had looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Willow. Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered.

"OH SHIT! GERARD! SOMEONE, GET HER TO A DOCTOR! SOMEONE CALL THE NURSE! OH SHIT! WE'RE AT THE CHURCH!" my baby brother screamed desperately. What the fuck?

"What the fuck's happened, Mikey?" I replied worriedly.

"It's Willow! She's tried to fucking kill herself! Slit her wrist! Oh shit Gerard, there's so much fucking blood! Her pulse, it's going! Quick, get doctor!" he begged. Holy shit. Fuck. Crap.  
"Ok, Mikey. Calm down. Press something to her wrist, like your t-shirt or something. Keep the blood from flowing more. I'll get help!" I said, and the call ended. Tears hit me. Willow could die. I ran inside the hospital and grabbed the shirt of a passing doctor who glared at me.  
"Please!" I sobbed. "Help me! My friend, she's bleeding to death! She's hurt herself bad!" Tears flowed from me like a river. He immediately dropped his clipboard off at the desk, called for another doctor to help and we ran out of the hospital.

"Do you know where the nearby church is?" I choked. One of them nodded.

"Hurry now, into the ambulance," the other instructed. I went to get in but I saw Frank running towards me. How would he take such devastating news?

"Gee! What's happened? Has Mikey found Willow?" he rushed. I nodded sadly. "Wh-what?" he asked worriedly when he saw my expression.

"Frankie…she tried to…kill herself…" I managed. His face turned pale. He looked about to faint.

"Oh…Oh my God," he breathed.

"Get in!" I demanded, and he climbed in next to me. We sped off, tears pouring down both of our faces.

**MIKEY'S POV**

I yanked off my shirt and rolled it up into a ball.  
"Stay with me, Willow," I demanded anxiously, and picked up her bleeding wrist. I heaved at the sight and stench of it. "Aw, shit." I pressed my shirt to it hard. "Please, please live," I begged desperately. "You're too young…" I held her in my arms. Her head lolled back sickeningly. I stroked her damp hair. "I love you Willow Rush. So bad. But I can live with that. But I can only live with that if you're _alive. _I know you're with Frank. But at least I've told you whilst your still living," I whispered. I knew I wasn't the only one who loved her. Gerard did too. She was so easy to fall in love with. So perfect in every way. So why does all this bad shit happen to her? Does she deserve it? No! Then I heard the siren in the distance. They were on their way.

**FRANK'S POV**

My hands were sweating like crazy. Would she still be alive when we reached her? Would I never get to see her blush again? Two deaths in one day… I could hardly deal with one, let alone another. I put my face in my hands and sobbed. I felt Gee's hand on my back.

"She'll live, Iero," he whispered. "She's strong."  
"She cheated death once before, when she was in the coma. It's highly unlikely she'll get given ANOTHER chance." I hated looking on the bad side. But if she was as hacked up as Mikey had said she was… I shuddered. I looked out of the window. A church loomed into view. We drove up and we all piled out, and raced into the cemetery.

"Mikey! Where are you?" Gee called out.  
"Over here! Hurry!" I heard him reply. We followed his voice, and the sight that met my eyes chilled me to the bone. She lay there in Mikey's arms, her blood staining the grave she was lying on. Her eyes were closed and she was as pale as winter snow. I dropped to my knees at her side and kissed her lips softly.

"Don't you dare leave me, Willow Rush," I begged, but the doctors pushed past me and put her on a stretcher. Hardly saying a word to us, the carried her to the ambulance, taking tests and monitoring her once she was inside. We climbed in with her, and I watched as her heart beat bleeped faintly on the Heart Rate Monitor. She was barely alive. I touched her hand. "Don't go," I whispered.

She stayed with us until we got to the hospital, where the doctors wheeled her immediately off.

"Wait here," they told us, and we sat outside the room she was in. Doctors ran in and out. I finally fainted against Mikey's shoulder. When I woke up I was lying on a hospital bed in a ward. I looked about and saw Gee looking out of the window. He turned upon hearing me trying to get off of the bed.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"About half an hour," he replied.  
"How-how is she?" I asked anxiously.

"She's lost a heck of a lot of blood. They're keeping her in intensive care. We can't see her yet. They're still running tests. They had to give her an immediate blood transfusion so…" he commenced in pulling up his sleeve to reveal a spot where a needle had obviously been pricked in.  
"Oh my fucking god…Gee…you gave her blood? But you hate needles!" I was so shocked. Gerard Way had a major phobia of needles. For him to do that…was incredible. He shook his head.

"I would have had a dozen needles in me if it meant I could save her. She doesn't deserve to die. Turns out we have the same blood group, luckily." I smiled weakly at my best friend.

"You're the most amazing guy I've ever met. I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Gee." He blushed. _Gerard Way blushed. _

"Thanks man."

"Hey, where's Mikey?" I asked wonderingly, looking around for my best bespectacled friend.

"He's gone in search of coffee, of course," Gee chuckled feebly. The doors opened and Mikey walked in with a tray of three coffee's. Right on cue. When he saw me awake he smiled.

"I thought you might be awake. So I brought you a coffee." Gerard rolled his eyes.

"Don't lie, Michael. You brought two for yourself, and you're now totally bummed out you've now got to give one to Frank." Mikey looked appalled.

"How could you even suggest?" he said shocked. Before either of us could respond, the ward doors opened. One of the doctors from earlier walked in. We sat nervously.

"How is she?" I choked. When I saw a glimpse of a smile at his lips, relief completely flooded through me.

"She'll be ok. Thanks to you," he pointed at Gerard. "If you hadn't given her that blood, I'm afraid she would never have pulled through." I looked at Gerard. So did Mikey. He had a smug look on his face. I fucking loved him.

"Thank you, Doc, thank you so much!" Mikey cried out and hugged the doctor, who looked surprised. He patted Mikey's back. "I've got to go make some calls!" And Mikey ran out of the ward, pulling out his phone as he went.

"I'll give you boys an update later. You're free to go home, as you can't visit her yet. I'll call you when she's ready." That doctor was an amazing man. But I knew someone who was more amazing. When the doctor left, I jumped up and pressed my lips to Gee's. We broke apart, and hugged.  
"Thank you, Gerard Way. Thank you," I breathed, relief and gratitude in every word I spoke.


	24. Cause I'm Such An Awful Fuck

**FRANK'S POV**

We had to wait two days to see her. When I finally received the call from Doctor Fisher, Mikey, Gerard and I raced to the hospital. Of course, Jared was already there when we walked into her room. He looked around to see who had walked in and smiled.

"Hey," he whispered. We all mumbled a "hello" back, but were too distracted by the pale figure asleep on the hospital bed. I walked over quietly and pulled up a chair beside Jared.

"How's she been doing?" I asked nervously.

"You only just missed her – she fell asleep about ten minutes ago. But she's weak, guys. She can hardly talk. That loss of blood affected her really badly. I want to thank you guys so much for helping save her." He nodded his head in gratitude, and turned back to the girl on the bed. I picked up her bandaged hand and stroked it. "I just can't believe she would do such a thing. She hates the idea of death," Jared muttered. A tear dripped onto the duvet covers. I patted his back.

"But she's still with us, which is the main thing. We can help her through this," Gee piped up.

"Definitely," Mikey exclaimed. A nurse suddenly entered the room and did some tests. She smiled at us sympathetically and then left. Willow looked so peaceful, but a shudder ran through me. She had looked like that when she had been in the coma. I sniffled and felt an arm around my shoulder. Mikey had come to comfort me.

"She'll be ok," he reminded me. I was about to answer when the door opened again amidst an argument.

"Sir, there are too many visitors in here already, I'm afraid you'll have to wait!" the nurse begged. Willow's dad waltzed into the room.

"I don't care, she's my daughter!" he growled. I stood up and clenched my fists.

"So where have _you _been, if you call yourself a father?" I snarled at him. Mikey put his hand on my chest to stop me lunging at him. "This happened three fucking days ago!" He frowned at me.

"I had to try and get out of my work!" he snapped back.

"Surely, if your daughter's on the brink of life and death they would let you go?" Rage bubbled inside me.

"Shut up, and get out of here. Only three visitors are allowed usually. I don't know why this shithole is allowing four!" That was it. I went to punch him but stopped when I heard a small voice say "frank…? Dad…?" from the bed. I span on my heel. Willow was blinking at us, a confused and surprised expression on her face. I was frozen. She looked so weak. Mikey dropped to his knees beside her and stroked her hair.

"It's ok," he cooed lovingly. Her dad – Karl – pushed past me and then pushed Mikey out of the way. Mikey fell back onto his ass, glaring up at the shit head. Gee helped him to his feet and stuck his two fingers up at Karl's back.

"How are you feeling honey?" he asked, no care in his voice whatsoever.

"Worse."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're fucking here! Get out of my face. Get out of this hospital. Get out of my LIFE!" she croaked. He stepped back.

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way. But we're going to have to sort that out when you come and live with me, won't we?" The whole room froze. Willow's face dropped.

"Wh-what?" she managed.

"Well, where else are you going to live?"

"Anywhere but with YOU!" She attempted getting out of bed, but Jared pushed her gently back down.

"Sorry, but that's what you have to do, legally. And guess what? I've bought a lovely new house in California for us to live in!" he smiled at her, but then when he looked around at me, evil was shredding his eyes. _He had chosen California because it was the furthest he could take her away from us. _

"Ca-Cal-California?" she stuttered. "No! No fucking way! You can't take me away from my best friends and my boyfriend! Dad, please!" She sounded so desperate. He shook his head.

"Sorry, but you don't really have a choice. For the moment I'm staying at your house, but in a few weeks you're moving in with me. No if's, no what's and _NO_ but's." All of our jaws dropped. This could _NOT _be happening.

**WILLOW'S POV**

No. No. He couldn't take me away.

"If you take me away from here, I'll hurt myself again. And this time, I'll make sure no one can find me!" I threatened. His eyes widened. So did everyone else's.

"If you do that, I'll have you locked up for mental instability," he growled.

"I'll be better there than with you," I spat.

"Well, I see that me being around at the moment isn't doing you any good. I'll leave now. I'm going to your house and I'll wait for you to be brought back. Then we'll discuss this further." And with that he got up and just…left. I broke down into tears.

"I don't wanna go!" I wailed, and they all bombarded me with hugs. There was no way I could get out of this one. I had to go, for legal reasons. Fuck my life.

**~TWO DAYS LATER~**

Frank held me as we walked to Jared's car. We got in and drove to my house. I saw my dad's car parked outside and caught my breath. I didn't even want to face him. I had called him and told him I was on my way home.

"Do you want us to come in with you?" Frank asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's ok. I know how to deal with my father." I clambered out of the car and flung my bag over my shoulder, hurting my wrist. "Ah, fuck," I hissed, clutching it. I opened the door with my keys and dumped my bag on the side. I walked into the living room to see my dad sitting on the sofa with his face in his hands. When he looked up, it was shining with tears. His usually smooth face was unshaven, he looked like he hadn't slept last night and his eyes were bloodshot. I gasped.

"Dad?" I asked nervously. He sprang up and flung his arms around me.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm such a shit. I've been the worst father ever and I understand if you hate me. I was a horrible person to your mother, and a horrible person to you. I shouldn't have been like that. I don't deserve someone so beautiful and kind as a daughter. You're my world, but I've completely destroyed everything." He sank to his knees and sobbed. "I don't expect you to forgive me," he choked. I guess forgiving him properly would take time, but as for that moment, it had been what I had wanted to hear my father say for a very, very long time. I dropped to my knees in front of him and hugged him tightly.

"Daddy, I need you," I sniffled. "Mummy's gone and I have no one else but you left." Tears poured from my eyes.

"I'm here, my darling. I love you so very much, and I will always take care of you."


	25. So Long And Goodnight

The hearse drove down the gravel driveway slowly towards the small group of black-clothed people by the church doors. They were huddled under umbrellas as the rain fell heavily to the earth. Sorrow and pain filled the air around them. Eventually the hearse came to a halt in front of them, and the two men climbed out and carried the beautiful mahogany coffin in through the entrance. A girl, no older than sixteen, was crying so hard it hurt to look at her. The amount of pain in her eyes was heart-rending. She blinked through her tears, her gaze following the coffin through the doors. A short boy wrapped his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly, reassuring her. He leant in and kissed her cheek lovingly, and she collapsed, sobbing into his arms. The other boys and her father rushed around her and helped her into the church as sombre, melancholy organ music drifted into the grey, misty air.

The casket now lay open at the front of the church below the altar. Inside was a woman, her skin as white as winter snow, laying in an eternal sleep; peaceful and at rest. She wore a beautiful red dress, and held a bouquet of plain white roses – her favourite flowers. One by one, the grieving friends and family came to pay their last respects, and say their final farewells. Eventually, the girl reached the coffin and gently touched her sleeping mother's hand.

"I'll miss you, mummy," she whispered, a solemn tear falling from her lashes and dripping onto the white satin lining of the coffin. "Please don't leave me," she choked, before bursting with sadness. She fell to her knees and curled up into a ball. Her father carefully picked her up and carried her to the pews, where he held her on his lap, in his arms, as she cried against his shirt. He stroked her hair, and rocked her back and forth, like he had done when she was a tiny baby. She still was his baby, just not so tiny any more. The group of boys huddled into a pew behind, but the taller one with black hair hanging in front of his face sat beside the father, cooing to the girl and calling her 'Will'. She glanced up at him and he winced when he saw the pain in her eyes.

**JARED'S POV**

She looked so…so…broken. Poor, poor baby. She nuzzled back into the warmth of her father and he hugged her tightly.

"It's gonna be ok, sweetheart. Everything's going to be ok," he assured her, but she shook her head.

"Not without mum here it won't be," she whispered. She sat up and tried so hard to hold it together. She was trembling – her eyes fixed on the coffin. The funeral continued, full of tears and sadness. Suddenly, the priest nodded at Willow. She stood up, and walked slowly over to the podium. We all sat, waiting and watching.

"My mother was the most wonderful woman I've ever known. She was everything a daughter would want a mother to be. She was my world, and now she's gone my world has turned upside down. My paths have changed, my life has been altered. I could sit and cry like I have been for the past few days, or I could live my life like she would have wanted." Tears bubbled out of my eyes. She was speaking so steadily and so surely, that it was even harder to watch. She was trying so, so hard.

"I've written a poem for my mother." Her black-gloved hands shook as she pulled out a piece of crumpled paper from her jacket pocket. She straightened it out and cleared her throat.

_You can shed tears that she is gone__  
Or you can smile because she has lived_

_You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back__  
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left_

_Your heart can be empty because you can't see her__  
Or you can be full of the love that you shared_

_You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday__  
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday_

_You can remember her and only that she is gone__  
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on_

_You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back__  
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on._

Sobs erupted the room, and so did a loud and agreeing applause. She nodded her head and cautiously got down from the pulpit and walked back over to us, her eyes open and a smile spread across her face. Just like her mother would have wanted.

**FRANK'S POV**

She had read it so beautifully. I felt the tears roll down my cheeks still. I looked at the guys and saw they had reacted in the exact same way. Mikey took of his glasses and cleaned them with his black tie. Gee wiped his tears with his sleeve. Ray pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose violently. Even Bob's face glistened with tears. The funeral procession lifted themselves out of their seats, and we followed suit. Karl turned to us, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Boys, would you…would you help us carry the coffin?" I felt privileged to have been selected for such a personal task. We nodded and Jared and Karl took the front, Gee and I took the middle and Ray and Mikey took the back. Bob's shoulder was bad from a pulled muscle so he couldn't do it anyway. Slowly, we began walking to the heartbreaking organ music. We carried Jenny down the isle, but as the doors opened I felt someone wriggle behind me. Willow, tears at the corners of her eyes, had put the coffin on her shoulder too.

"Mummy," she whispered softly, clutching the wood lovingly.

**WILLOW'S POV**

We reached the hole in the ground, and I stood and watched as they lowered my mummy into the darkness. I felt my knees go weak again. Gee felt me falling and caught me. He held me up and he held me close. A choir of children sang from their hymn books, making me cry even more. Everyone was holding a white rose, which they threw onto the sunken coffin. But I clutched my rose hard. I was last to throw mine in, and watched as the single red rose hit the blanket of white one's.  
"I'll never forget you," I promised.


	26. We All Wanna Party When The Funeral Ends

**GERARD'S POV**

Fucking school. The day after Willow's mum's funeral, we had to go back to fucking school. I was half asleep on my desk in English. I could see Willow sitting a few seats in front to the left, her head hanging. She had been mostly silent and distant ever since her mum had died. Poor thing. She must have sensed me looking at her because she turned around and looked at me with shining eyes.

"Are you ok?" I mouthed noiselessly. She nodded unconvincingly and turned back to the front of the class. I prepared myself to fall asleep again, but suddenly Willow leapt from her chair and sprinted out of the room, crying. Shit. I jumped up and followed her quickly, the teacher shouting after both of us. I huffed and puffed down the corridor after her, and she skidded into the girl's restroom. She slammed the door. I stood outside for a moment, and put my ear to the door. I heard her muffled sobs and immediately opened it. I saw her huddled in the corner, below the sinks. She was holding her knees to her chest and tears were pouring from her eyes.

"Mama," she whispered constantly. I rushed over and sank down beside her, pulling her close and hugging her tightly.

"Shh, honey. It's ok, I'm here," I cooed to her. She nodded and bawled into my jumper. I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"I know-I said-I'd stay-strong-but-I miss her-so-so-so much," she choked. I rubbed her arm.

"I understand. It's hard losing someone you love so much." Suddenly the bell rang and a group of girls walked in chatting. They stopped dead and wide-eyed when they saw me.

"Erm…" one of them said.

"…Is she ok?" a brown haired girl asked, dropping to her knees in front of us. She was…hot. Willow blinked up at her.

"I'm fine…" she coughed, and climbed to her feet. The girl helped her up.

"My name's Alicia," she said kindly. "If you ever need anything, I'm here." Wow, what a sweet, hot girl!

"Erm, thanks," Willow replied quietly. Alicia smiled and whipped out a tissue. She dabbed under Willow's eyes and then pulled out a make-up wipe and got rid of all the smeared mascara.

"Thank you…" Willow said uncertainly. Alicia frowned.

"I'm sorry. I'm a very upfront person. I shouldn't have just sprung on you like that. It's just you seemed so sad." Willow nodded.

"My…my mum…she passed away…" she managed. Alicia's face dropped and her mouth fell open.

"Oh hun, I'm so sorry," she whispered. Willow closed her eyes.

"Hey, Willow, let's get to lunch. We'll sit with the guys on the field by the tree?" I asked. She nodded solemnly, but forced a smile on her face.

"Alicia…why don't you come with us?" she asked. Alicia smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. You seem like a really nice person," Willow said honestly. And with that we left the girl' restroom and made our way through the bustling crowd. I spotted the guys outside cafeteria. They were talking intensely about something. Mikey looked up from the discussion and his mouth fell open upon seeing Alicia.

"H-h-hi," he said shakily. "My name's Mi-Mikey." His glasses slid further down his nose. She giggled and pushed them back up. His eyes crossed as he watched her finger on his glasses.

"Hi, I'm Alicia," she grinned.

**FRANK'S POV  
**

I took her hand and squeezed it tightly. She smiled at me weakly as I put my arm around her shoulder.  
"I'm always here for you, you know that, right?" I told her. She nodded. We all walked out to the field where we sat by the old oak tree. It was warmer today, although we still needed the gloves, coats, hats and scarves. We settled down amongst the roots. The girl – Alice or something – was talking to Mikey, who kept blushing and giggling. Gee had his headphone's in and was sitting against the tree, his eyes closed. Ray was playing softly on his acoustic guitar. I lay down beside Willow.

"How are you feeling?" I asked nervously.

"Better," she replied monotonously. I propped myself up on my elbow and stroked her face.

"I love you," I whispered, and she blinked up at me.

"I love you too, Frankie." She leant up and kissed me properly for the first time since the accident. I made sure I didn't respond to eagerly, although I had wanted to kiss her like this for a while. She held the back of my head and pulled herself on top of me. She ran her hands under my shirt and made me tremble with pleasure. I held her face in my hands and she stuck her tongue deeper into my throat. I responded exactly the same way. Finally she rolled off and we both lay, breathing hard, staring up at the bare branches of the tree.

"Ww…" I sighed.  
"Yeah, that made me feel even better," she said through a strained smile. I kissed her nose and hugged her.

"I never want to leave you Frank. But I'm still moving to CA and I hate that," she said, her voice trembling. I didn't know what to say back. But I felt the smile spread across my face.

**WILLOW'S POV**

The rest of the school day dragged by. Finally, we piled onto the school bus (because Ray had no car) and they dropped us off at the top of our road.

"I hate getting that fucking thing already," Gee growled as he brushed himself off.  
"Bye guys, see you at practice later," Ray said, waving goodbye. I put my hand in Frank's and we walked along the road. For some reason they all had the same mysterious smile on their faces.

"What's up with you guys?" I asked wonderingly, stopping. Their faces immediately changed back to normal.

"What?" Mikey asked, his eyes darting between me and the floor.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Gee said nonchalantly.

"Nothing's up," Frank replied nervously. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh look! Our house! Bye guys!" Mikey said suddenly, and ran down his path and through his front door. Gee followed suit.

"What the fuck is up?" I demanded. I saw a flicker of a smile on Frank's mouth. "Frank Anthony Iero. Tell me!" He shook his head.

"There's nothing to tell. Look, I'll walk you home." He put his arm around my shoulder and forced me to walk. I was so confused. Then I saw my front door open and Jared skip down the path towards us.

"Hey!" he called out, grinning. He had the SAME look as the others just had slapped across his face.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously. Jared took my hand.

"Come on!" he chuckled and literally threw me into his car. I picked up a Macdonald's toy from the seat.

"You're nineteen years old and your still eating Happy Meals?" I asked, raising my eyebrow again. He blushed and snatched it from me.

"Shush up," he giggled. I saw my front door open again and my dad got into the car. Frank slid in beside me.

"What the HELL IS GOING ON?" I asked angrily.

"Wait and see," my dad grinned mischievously. "Frank, the blindfold." My mouth dropped.

"Blind fold?" I asked, making sure I'd heard correctly. Before I got an answer, the world went black. "Hey!" I growled.

"Just go with it!" I heard Frank chuckle to me. I gave up and sat back.

"Please would someone just tell me why I'm blind folded?"

"Nope," they replied in unison. After about ten minutes, the car came to a halt. I felt two sets of arms help me as we walked…somewhere. I heard a 'ding' sound and some doors slide open. Ah, a lift. We got in and I felt it move.

"Are we going up or down?" I asked wonderingly.

"Up," came the reply. Finally it stopped. The doors opened and I heard a set of keys rustle. We walked a little further, then I heard the keys open another door. A warmth hit me and we walked in through that door, into that warmth. The door shut, then another door opened.  
"Ok, take the blindfold off of her, Frank," I heard my dad say. When the world was revealed to me again my jaw dropped.

"Oh my…oh my god…" I gasped.


	27. Think Happy Thoughts

**WILLOW'S POV**

There, before my eyes, was my…my room. But we had left my house hadn't we? But wait, it wasn't my room. Everything from my room was in there, but the layout was different. My bed on the left now, not on the right. Pansy was sitting in full view in the corner. My posters hung all over the walls. I was speechless.

"What do you think?" Jared asked nervously.

"I don't know what to think…" I choked. "I don't understand?" They all looked at one another and grinned.

"I am officially your legal guardian. Apart from your dad obviously," Jared exclaimed, beaming ear to ear. My jaw dropped. He wrapped his arms around me. "Welcome home, Will."

"Ho-home?" I asked as I trembled with excitement.

"Yes sweetheart. This is where you'll be living from now on," my dad said with a smile.

"I got a job at the Grill! I've been looking for a job everywhere. I bought this apartment just after you left PA because I wanted us to still be close. Now you don't have to move to California!" Jared squealed. I began jumping up and down.

"Oh my GOD!" I screamed, and hugged them all. Suddenly the front door burst open and Gerard, Mikey, Bob and Ray poured in.

"Hey!" they all called. I ran and hugged them.

"You guys all knew?"

"Yep!" they laughed in unison. And I smiled, for the first time since my mother had died. I felt tears of joy line my eyelashes. I had the greatest friends in the world.

"But, how the hell did you get here?" I asked wonderingly.

"I passed my driving test!" Bob exclaimed joyfully. We all cheered. My father put his arm around me.

"Dad, are you sure you're ok with this?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine with it sweetheart. I trust Jared. He's been there for you more than I ever have." I hugged my dad tightly.

"I love you daddy," I whispered.

"I love you too, Pansy," he whispered back. He hadn't called me that since I was a little girl.  
"When do you leave?" I asked.

"Tomorrow." I felt new tears of sadness brim in my eyes. My new father – the kind, loving one, not the uncaring crappy one, was leaving me too soon.  
"I'll miss you," I stammered.

"Aw, I'll miss you too!" I jumped when there was a smash. We span on our heel and saw Gerard frozen, a guilty smile on his face.

"Sorry!" he mumbled, clearing up a smashed glass. "I was just getting a beer… Bloody hell…" Ray darted over to help, and found a dustpan and brush.

"I do have some rules though," my dad announced. We all stopped. "If _anything _bad happens, I get a phone call _immediately. _If it's too bad, you'll move to CA and live with me. Understand?" I gulped and nodded.

"Yes dad."

**JARED'S POV**

I was so excited. Literally, buzzing. We were now all on the sofa with cans of beer and chatting. I had my arm around Will, who snuggled up close.  
"I'm so happy about this," she grinned, kissing my cheek.

"So am I," I replied, hugging her tighter. She sat up and stretched.  
"I gotta go pee," she said casually.

"Charming," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

**FRANK'S POV**

I opened the bathroom door to leave, and came face to face with Willow.

"Oh, hey-" I began before her lips were on mine. She pushed me back into the bathroom and shut the door. "Did you-actually-need-to-pee?" I asked through the kisses. She shook her head and giggled. So I went with the flow. She kissed me all over my face, and then she sucked on my new lip ring. Damn. That was hot. I felt her warm tongue slide into my mouth and I put mine in hers. We French kissed as we fell softly onto the floor. She lifted up my tee-shirt and kissed my chest and my stomach, making me moan loudly with pleasure. We stopped suddenly. The babble of voices stopped in the other room. Silence. Then a rapping at the door.

"Are you quite finished?" I heard Gee say through the wood.

"Not quite, give us a few more minutes!" she called back and giggled. Then her face dropped. "Shit," she said quietly to me. "My dad's still in there, isn't he?" She blushed deeply, and so did I. I pulled my tee-shirt back down and we left the bathroom, and went into the living room. Karl had a disapproving yet humorous look on his face. The others were all stifling laughter. Which they didn't stifle for long. Soon, the entire room was roaring with laughter, including me and Willow. It was so nice to see her happy again. At least for the moment. Thank god for Jared.

**MIKEY'S POV**

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. A text message…_from Alicia. _Hurriedly and excitedly, I opened it.

_Hey, Mikey _

_Just testing your number. I was confused; I thought I may have written it down wrong. Text me back, ok?_

_Xoxo_

I quickly texted back.

_Hah, you got the number right, so don't worry __ It was nice meeting you today too. I still can't believe you're into Anthrax._

_X_

I giggled, remembering our conversation at lunch. After a few moments, I got a reply.

_Oh good. And it was great meeting you too. And don't be sexist, lol. Get over it, Mikey. I love Black Sabbath too, so get used to that as well._

_Xoxo_

My jaw dropped. She was like…like my dream girl.

_No way! BS? Now you're gonna tell me you like comic books as well…_

_X_

I sat, feeling special that I was the one she had chosen to text.

_Well, erm… Yeah, I do…. Is that a bad thing? I personally like the Batman ones to be honest. Oh, and the Watchmen ones are awesome too!_

_xoxo_

Oh. My. God.

_:O No! It's not a bad thing at all! That's so cool! You're definitely the coolest girl I've ever met!_

_X_

Waiting…

_Really? Oh, thank god! And cool? Aw, thanks. You're definitely the cutest boy I've ever met ;) Maybe we can meet up after school some time and we can listen to some tunes?_

_Xoxo_

OH MY FUCKING GOD! SCORE MIKEY WAY! SCORE!

_Paha, cute? Really? More like geek haha. And I'd love to meet up with you. Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow at school?_

_Xoxo_

I was so happy. So, so happy.

_A cute geek then ;) And ok. My credit is getting kind of low, so we'll talk tomorrow. Bye _

_Xoxo_

Holy shit. *BIG SMILE*


	28. The Beauty Parlour's Filled With Sailors

**WILLOW'S POV**

After school ended the following day, my dad picked me up in his car. We drove all the way to the beach and sat on the sand. Dad threw a pebble hard into the sea.

"I'm glad we've become closer, Pansy," he said, his smile crinkling his eyes. I leant my head against his shoulder.

"Me too, dad. I'll miss you when you've gone." I felt tears spring to my eyes again.

"I'll miss you too," he replied sadly, pulling me into a hug. We walked along the promenade, and bought some French fries from a small café.  
"Do you remember when we all went down to Miami beach, and you spilt you ice-cream all over your face?" I giggled. He laughed too.

"Damn, you didn't need to remind me of _that!_!" he chuckled. "That was a great holiday, wasn't it?" I nodded, chewing a fry. He checked his watch. "I've got an hour until I need to be on the plane. I guess we should get back," he suggested. He took my hand and we walked slowly to the car.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"For what?" he replied curiously.

"For turning out to be an amazing father. I forgive you. For everything. I don't care what happened in the past. Mum dying has taught me life is too short to hold grudges. I love you, daddy." Tears of joy filled his eyes.

"Oh Pansy," he cried out, pulling me into a hug and spinning me around. "I love you so much sweetheart. I don't deserve a second chance, but if you're giving me one, I'll take it!" Beaming with love and joy, we both got into the car and he drove. But rather than going home first, he drove to the airport.

"Dad… Why?" I asked. He grinned as we got out of the car.  
"Happy late Birthday, Pansy," he said as he grinned. I pulled a confused face. Then he pointed at the car. The silver Ford Mustang GT.

"Holy shit! Are you serious!" I squealed.

"Of course. And I've paid the insurance for it too. It was the least I could do after being such a monumental dick head," he replied, shaking his head at himself. I cried outwith absolute ecstasy and hugged him tight.

"It's so amazing dad! Thank you!" I stammered excitedly.

"By the way, have you told those boys you can drive yet? Or have you just let the drive you everywhere?" he said, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"Of course I haven't told them," I giggled. He threw me the keys. Then he seemed as though he couldn't bear it any longer. He let the tears fall from his eyes. I rushed into his arms.  
"I'll miss you so much, Pansy," he sobbed.

"Daddy…" I wimpered. He stroked my hair then let me go.

"Have fun, kiddo," he chuckled through his tears, which he soon wiped away with his sleeve.

"I'm sure I will dad."

"Don't get into too much trouble!"

"I won't dad." He walked away. He waved goodbye when he turned around. I turned back to my car. MY CAR. Holy fuck.

**FRANK'S POV**

"Mikey! Don't touch me there!" Bob whinged. We all burst out laughing at the euphemism. "Oh shut up! He only touched my bad shoulder!" Bob snapped.

"That's what _you _say!" Gee chuckled. We were clearing stuff out of Willow's old house that she would need in her's and Jared's new apartment. Apart from her bedroom stuff obviously, which had already been done. I packed some towels into a box and labelled it. Gee was huffing and puffing as he struggled with a box down the path. I ran and helped him.

"Geez, Gee! What the fuck is in here?" I groaned under the weight.

"Her make-up and toiletries. Talk to your girlfriend about cutting down on the beauty products, would ya?" We both chuckled and heaved the box into the trunk of Bob's car. We were having to make tons of trips to and from the house to the apartment because Bob's car was so small. Suddenly, an engine roared around the corner. Karl's car zoomed along the road.

"I thought he was due to catch a plane?" Mikey called from the front door. I squinted and saw there was only one person in the car. And that person was…Willow?  
"What the fuck?" Gee said to himself. We were all thinking the same thing. She winked as she pulled up, and we all dropped what we were holding and ran over to the gorgeous machine.

"I didn't know you could drive!" – Mikey

"Holy shit, girl! What a _machine_!" – Bob

"Woah! Your dad _gave _this to you?" – Ray

"Fucking hell, Willow! You little sneak, not telling us you could drive!" – Gee

"Wow… You look even hotter in that car!" – Me. She giggled and jumped out.

"It's nice huh?" she grinned. We all nodded, unable to speak. "Well, come on! Looks like there's not much left of the stuff… Where's Jared?"

"He's at the apartment, putting the stuff away that we're taking there. This should be the last trip there, if we can use your car as well?" I asked. She nodded and we piled all the boxes in. She locked up her house one final time and we all sped off for the apartment.

**JARED'S POV**

I unpacked a box labelled 'photographs'. I found one of Willow and her parents on a beach in Miami first. I placed it in a frame. I knew that was her fondest memory of her family when it was complete. I also found the strip of the ones of us that we had taken in a photo booth, which I stuck to the mirror in the hallway. I smiled as I looked through the memories. Parks, ice-cream, friends, dogs. Typical childhood photo's. Suddenly the doorbell buzzed. I opened the door and they all piled in.

"These are the last boxes, Jay," Gee called. I blushed when he called me by my nickname. Everything was fine between us now; no more tension. But I still liked him. Secretly. I took a box out of Frank's hands and nearly collapsed under it's weight.

"What the hell is in here?" I groaned. Frank laughed.

"Her beauty products!"

"No way!" I winced, heaving it into the bathroom where Willow unpacked it, giggling.

**~2 HOURS LATER~**

We were collapsed on the sofa, breathless and finished. The apartment finally felt homely. Gee was snoring away on the armchair, and Bob and Ray were also fast asleep on the floor. Night had fallen, and we were all tired from the move and unpacking. Mikey yawned.

"Seeing as half of us are asleep, is it alright if we crash here tonight?" he asked sleepily.

"Of course it's ok," I said stretching. I pulled some extra blankets and pillows out of the cupboard and passed them around. I lay one over both Bob and Ray who were side by side, and placed pillows beneath their head. Neither of them stirred. I placed a blanket over Gee, and tucked a pillow under his head too. He mumbled something in his sleep, and then went back to snoring. When I was sure no one was looking, I placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Night," Mikey yawned, settling down on the sofa bed. Frank went to go into Willow's room with Willow but I darted in front of them.

"Oh no. No, no, no. As your guardian, I say 'Frank, you're on the sofa with Mikey. And you, Willow Rush, get to bed.'" Their jaws dropped, and when they went to argue, I put my hand up. "No but's! NOW!" I growled. Willow's lip pouted angrily and she stamped off to bed. Frank chuckled and took of his shirt. I tried to avert my gaze, but Willow as a lucky girl. He was _hot. _


	29. Away With The Boys In The Band

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Hey Jay, where's my eyeliner?" I called out from the bathroom, desperately routing through my make-up.

"It's on my face!" he yelled back. I growled and stormed into his room, snatching the black-eyeliner pencil and hurrying back into the bathroom. "Are you nearly ready?" he asked hurriedly.

"Nearly!"

"We've gotta be there in half an hour!" he shrieked.

"I fucking know, god damn it!" I screamed at him. We were rushing about hastily, getting ready for the concert. I pulled on my Black Flag hoodie and was finally done. Jared skidded out of his room.

"All ready? Then let's do this thang!" he giggled excitedly. I took his hand and we left the apartment. We climbed into the mustang and drove to the venue. When we got there, there were huge crowds of people everywhere.

"Holy shit! It's packed out there!" I groaned.

"It's Black Flag! What did you expect?" Jared reminded me.

"Have you text them to tell them where we are?" I asked him.

"Yeah…Hey look, there _they_ are!" Jared squeaked, pointed and jumped about on the spot excitedly. I looked over to where he was pointing and saw the guys standing aimlessly by the large fountain. I ran over and jumped into Frank's arms. He hugged me tight.

"Hey! Oh my God, this is so frickin' cool man!" Mikey buzzed, grinning ear to ear.

"Fuck yeah!" Ray said, punching the air.  
"Come on! Let's get inside!" Gee pleaded anxiously. So, following Gee, we paraded into the Black Flag concert. On the door we produced our tickets and the ticket collector waved us in. Oh my God this was so fucking cool! Fans of all shapes and sizes walked around with mullets, Mohawks… – the works. We bustled into the music hall and bounced about excitedly. It was really hot and stuffy in there though. Sweat had already plastered our foreheads. After about twenty minutes, the entire stage went black. We waited in excitable silence. Then the entire stage erupted with lights and fireworks. Screams and cheers exploded in the audience. The lead singer – Henry Rollins – walked on stage and screamed at the top of his lungs. We screamed back. My throat began hurting, but I didn't care. The band began to play…

_Jealous cowards try to control__  
__Rise above__  
__We're gonna rise above__  
__They distort what we say__  
__Rise above__  
__We're gonna rise above__  
__Try and stop what we do__  
__Rise above__  
__When they can't do it themselves___

_We are tired of your abuse__  
__Try to stop us it's no use___

_Society's arms of control__  
__Rise above__  
__We're gonna rise above__  
__Think they're smart__  
__Can't think for themselves__  
__Rise above__  
__We're gonna rise above__  
__Laugh at us__  
__Behind our backs__  
__I find satisfaction__  
__In what they lack__  
_

I was literally in music heaven. We all sang along to the words and had one of the best nights of our lives. All thanks to the amazing Jay and his overly rich parents. We all danced and sang and laughed and jumped until we were nearly fainting from exhaustion. Full of exhilaration, we left the gig around midnight, tripping over our tired feet and laughing.

"That was so amazing!" cried Mikey.

"Fucking hell, thanks Jay!" Gee whooped. The others all nodded and we piled onto Jay with hugs.

"You're incredible, did you know that?" I told him. He shrugged.

"I had an inkling," he replied smoothly, winking.

"I wonder if our band will ever get that big…" Ray pondered.

"Ha! We'll never make it as big as _them. _And plus, we're just some shitty high school band that'll fizzle out eventually," Gee grunted sadly. I put my arm around his shoulder.

"I promise you, you _will _make it. You'll be one of the biggest bands around. And I'll be there, against those metal railings, cheering you on. I'm your number one fan!" I told him. He raised an unconvinced eyebrow.  
"Here's hoping…" he sighed.

"Let's go to our place!" Jay piped up. Agreeing almost instantly, we piled into the cars. Frank, Gee and Jay got into mine with me.

"I still can't believe you own such a fucking nice car," Gee said, admiring the interior. To be honest, neither could I. My dad had been unbelievably generous. We finally made it back to mine and crashed out on the sofa. It seemed the guys were sleeping here more often than they were sleeping in their own homes. Suddenly Frank sat up.

"Oh. Aw crap. You know how my garage door doesn't shut properly?" he winced. We nodded. "My dad's on a business trip and now my mum can't get the door down. I need to go back and help her. Willow, you don't mind driving me, do you?" He looked at me pleadingly.

"Frank, of course I don't mind!" I sighed. He grinned his cheesy big grin and literally pulled me out of the apartment.

"Wow, you're in a rush to go help you mum!" I chuckled.

"Erm, yeah… I mean, who knows what she could do to herself…" he replied, a strange look on his face. When we finally pulled up outside his house, I saw that the garage door was shut tight. And there were no lights on in the house.  
"What the-" I started, but Frank put his finger to my lips.

"Give me five minutes, ok? Then come in," was all he said before he darted out of the car and into his house. I watched and waited. After a few moments, soft light started flickering in one of the upstairs windows. I was so confused. The light grew, and finally five minutes was up. I warily entered his house, and made my way upstairs to the room with the lights. I saw light glowing underneath the door. It was Frankie's room. I slowly opened it…and gasped.


	30. This Is The Best Day Ever

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Oh my god…Frank…" I whispered. Candles lit the room with a soft glow. He stood awkwardly in the centre of the room.

"You said you wanted it to be special…so…And I mean, if you're not ready, we can wait because I don't mind and I-" but I cut him off when my lips met his. His hands ran down my sides, sending electric shocks down my entire body. I kissed him harder, and he kissed me back, with a lot of passion. My breathing got heavier and so did his. As we kissed we fell softly onto his bed. My hands twisted in his hair and he pulled off his shirt. I tugged off my t-shirt at the same time and turned myself over so he was on top of me. He began kissing my cheek, my neck, my chest, my stomach. It felt so good. He pulled off my jeans and then his pants. He came back to my lips and kissed me again. I rolled over on top of him and began kissing him the same way he had kissed me. I began with his neck, his chest, his toned and muscular stomach. How lucky was I to have such a hot boyfriend? I felt his fingers fumble with my bra strap and I giggled as his face contorted into pure determination.

"Here," I breathed. "Let me." He gawped as my bra slid off and hit the floor. I giggled again.  
"Yes, Willow. Whatever you say, yes," he said definitely, wide-eyed. I stroked his face with one finger, and let it trail down along his side. He shivered and moaned. He rolled back on top of me. He kissed me all over and kept returning to my lips every once in a while. Finally, he ripped off my remaining underwear and his own.  
"Wait…" he whispered suddenly, and picked up a small packeted something from the bedside cabinet.

"Ah yes. We'll need that," I giggled. He put it on and looked deep into my eyes to make sure I was ready for this. When I nodded I felt him slip inside me. I let out a moan and so did he. Shit that felt good. We kept at it for ages and my back kept arching as my pleasure reached it peak. He ran his hand down my back slowly and my body tingled. I tangled my hands in his hair and then slid them over his face and down his chest. He sighed and I rolled over so I was on top of him. I ran my hands over his chest again and kissed it passionately. He stared into my eyes and stroked my hair. I moved my lips back to his and we breathed out heavily as we kept going. He rolled back on top of me to make me the main focus of our activity and decided to go at it faster. I sighed heavily as my back arched again. He smiled as kissed my neck; my chest; my stomach. I grabbed his shoulders but the sweat made my hands slide over his back. He sighed too. It was the most amazing feeling I'd ever felt in my life. We kept changing position every so often too, which was incredible.  
"Oh Frank," I sighed breathlessly. He kept going and going until in the end he looked completely exhausted. He let out a huge sigh and rolled off of me. We both lay there naked, staring at the ceiling, breathing hard and slow.

"Wow," Frank managed.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," I breathed. I snuggled closer to him and he pulled us both beneath the bed covers. I brought my lips to his and he kissed me back gently.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I replied. Suddenly the phone buzzed and Frank took a look.

"It's from Gee. He's wondering where the fuck we've been for the past two hours…"

"It's been two hours already? We were at it for that long?" Frank and I both blushed at the same time.

"Time flies when you're having fun!" he chuckled. "I guess we'd better head back… We don't want to be _too _suspicious."

"What do we say as our excuse?"

"Erm…car broke down?"

"That's so shit."

"Any better idea's?"

"Yeah a few…But hang on a sec…Where's your mum by the way?"

"She's at my Grandparents house for the weekend," he chuckled.

"Ah. Erm, well we could say that there was traffic?"

"That's even shittier than my idea!"

**GERARD'S POV**

"I'm starting to freak out now. Where the fuck are they?" I said, ringing my hands anxiously and pacing the room, the same as the others.

"How long ago did you send the text?" Jared asked.

"Like ten minutes ago…Wait! I have a response!" I cried out as my phone buzzed. They all gathered around. "The car ran out of gas in a traffic jam. For fuck's sake. What a lame excuse."

"A lame excuse for what?" Mikey asked innocently.

"They fucked each other, that's what." I growled. Jaws dropped.

"They lied about the garage and went home and did it?" Jared asked angrily. "So much for a friendly evening with all of us."

"Hey, guys, come off it. How long have they been dating? Two and a half months? Surely they are allowed to…ya know… And it's their relationship, not ours," Mikey retorted.

"I guess you're right…" I sighed.

"I know I'm right," Mikey said triumphantly.

**FRANK'S POV**

We were in her car, driving back to the apartment. I felt over the moon. My whole body was tingling still. She kept glancing at me and blushing. I guess I blushed back a lot too. I felt so much closer to her now. She took my hand as she drove along and squeezed it gently. We pulled up and took the elevator up to the right floor. When she opened the door, we were met by a sort of silence. Gee sat, arms crossed, on the sofa, eyeing me curiously. As a matter of fact, they all were.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"We were worried about you. Why didn't you text to tell us the car had broken down sooner? Let us know what had happened? Or was it just too hectic?" Gee quizzed. I gulped. Shit. He knew.

"Err…" I managed. I was crap at lying.

"Told you so," Gee said to the other guys, snapping his fingers and standing up.

"Told them what?" Willow growled.

"Why don't you tell us?"

"Because it's none of your business!"

"What, a car breaking down is none of our business? Sorry, I didn't know it was _that _personal," Gee snapped.

"Shut the fuck up Gee!" Frank and I snarled in unison. Gee's eyes widened and his glare disappeared.

"Oh my…Oh shit, I'm sorry you guys. It's just I'm so fucking tired and I get grouchy when I don't get enough sleep…" he apologised sincerely.

"He's telling the truth, trust me," Mikey sighed. "I've felt the wrath of sleepy Gerard too many times…"


	31. Then Holding Hands And Life Was Perfect

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just wanted to dedicate something to my no.1 fan, GerardWayIsMyLife, so I'm dedicating this chapter. You've made writing stories more enjoyable because I know I have someone who loves it and wants **_**more. **_**Thank you so much xoxo Chloe**

**P.S I know you'll love this chapter more than anyone else will, Sarah. Mainly because of whose POV it's from ;) It's one of the major reasons I dedicated this chapter to you. **

**MIKEY'S POV**

I hummed 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You' as I peed into the urinal. Ahhh… Sweet relief. I had been dying for the toilet all morning, but my Biology teacher wouldn't let me go. Stupid git. I quickly did up my zipper and was about to leave the restroom when Gerard waltzed in.

"Hey bro," I waved, and he grunted back a "hi." He walked past me but I put my hand on his chest.

"Wait. What's up with you?" I asked, worried about my older sibling. Ever since the Black Flag concert he had been distant and grumpy. He sighed.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie," I pressed, staring him down. His eyes weakened and he sighed deeper.

"You really wanna know?" he asked. I nodded. He was about to talk when a group of jocks poured in. We both growled under our breath. "Look," he whispered. "I'll tell you in a minute. Just let me do what I came in to do, and we'll talk outside…" And with that Gee walked over to a urinal and began to pee. Suddenly one of the jocks started pointing at him and laughing.

"Ahaha, look at that emo's cock! It's tiny!" he cackled evilly. I glared at him and he caught my eye. He grinned spitefully. "Has the emo's brother got a problem?" he snarled. I just continued to stare angrily at him. I wouldn't lower myself to his level. Gee hastily zipped up and we dashed out of the restroom, followed by the sound of the jeering jocks.

"Stupid fucking fucktards," Gee spat.

"So you gonna tell me what's up?" I asked again. He stopped in the corridor.

"Mikey…I don't really know how to…how to say this," he replied, looking uncomfortable.

"Just spit it out, Gerard." He shuffled about and looked at his shoes as he spoke.

"I-I wanna pursue my art. I'm gonna start art college…" he mumbled. I was shocked.

"Really? I thought that was just a past time?"

"No, it's something I'm really passionate about. And when I go to the college…I won't have time for the band…" My mouth fell open.

"Wh-what? Gee, we NEED you! You're our lead singer!" I cried out, waving my arms about wildly.

"I'm sorry, Mikey! But it's my dream to be a comic book artist. You've always known that! But it's also my dream to be in a band. I can't have both! I needed to choose, so I did!"

"I can't believe you. You've totally let us down!" I snarled, and stormed past him up the corridor. Ok, so maybe I'd been a little _too _angry about it, but he should have mentioned it sooner. Now I would never be in a band. I was so fuming that I didn't really watch where I was going. I was only pulled out of my trance when I bumped into someone, causing books and papers to go flying.

"Ah crap! I'm sorry!" I apologised quickly, but the girl who I'd bumped into waved her hand in acceptance.

"Don't worry about it!" she replied. We both dropped down and began picking up papers. I kept apologising and she giggled. I looked up and so did she. Immediately I recognised those big, beautiful brown eyes.

"Alicia!" I exclaimed, smiling. She grinned too.  
"Mikey! Hey!" she said happily, collecting up the last of the paper.

"Sorry about that," I blushed, helping her up.

"For God's sake Mikey! Stop apologising!" she chuckled. "So how was the Black Flag concert?"

"Oh my GOD! It was frickin' amazing! Like, beyond amazing!" I told her excitedly. She listened intently as I ran through the whole show. By the time I'd finished we had walked together all the way to the tree by the back of the field. We sat down on a large root.

"It sounded awesome! I'm so jealous," she grimaced.

"Maybe we can go see a band sometime?" I suggested. She nodded.

"I'd love to!" she squeaked. I grinned. She was so cute. I placed my hand down and accidentally put it on top of hers. We both pulled away, blushing and apologising. As we giggled, our eyes met again and our laughing faltered slightly as our breathing rate increased. We both began leaning in slowly… Almost there… Her lips were inches away from my own. Her eyes close. My eyes closed. So close…

"Hey guys!" Frank said cheerfully. We both pulled away, blushing immensely. I glared, and I mean _glared _at Iero, who had appeared from nowhere and sat down beside us. Stupid annoying midget. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me and then Alicia. Then he put his thumbs up behind her back and winked at me. I gave him the finger.

**~AFTER SCHOOL~**

Later that day, I walked Alicia home. She didn't live too far from school. As we walked, our swinging hands brushed together so much that finally they ended up interlocked. I blushed, and when I glanced at her she was too. I squeezed her hand gently. She smiled at me.  
"Here we are," she said suddenly, pointing to a small house.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" I replied.

"Yeah…" We both stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Well," she said, breaking the ice, "I'll see you, Mikey." She hugged me, and as she pulled away her lips brushed my cheek. Without thinking, I hungrily pressed my lips against hers. I was scared she would push away at my intensity, but she responded just as eagerly. She ran her tongue across my lips and I trembled. This was my first kiss. It was amazing. And with such a beautiful girl too! Her hands ran through my hair and clenched onto it. She pulled her body closer to mine. I ran my hands down her sides and felt her shiver at my touch. Finally, she gently pulled away, and kissed my nose.

"Bye Mikey," she whispered, and darted into her house. I stood on the sidewalk, shell-shocked. I couldn't believe what had just happened had…happened. I mean, how had _I _pulled a girl like _that_? In a daze, I walked back down the road. As what had happened set in, I couldn't help but skip instead of walk due to the utter happiness that filled my heart.


	32. I'm Really Just Asking To Leave

**GERARD'S POV**

The weeks rolled by and soon it was March. We still played gigs, but the guys were quite pissed off about what I'd chosen to do to us. Argh, it was tearing me apart. Choosing between music and art. Being in a band would be my dream. But I knew we would never make it. I couldn't do that to the guys. Let them think that they'd make it big, but when we were all in our twenties with no other career options and a cast-off band that never made it anywhere, they'd understand. So choosing a different path meant that that could never happen. They could have successful careers. I was heading to Art College in September. To be honest, I was looking forward to it, but I knew part of me would wish I had stayed with the boys in the band.

"Oi, catch!" Frank yelled at me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked up just in time to see a tennis ball hurtling towards me. It clonked me on the head and bounced onto the grass. Frank smiled sheepishly. I growled.

"Frank you fucktard!" I roared, throwing myself at him. I playfully tackled him to the floor. The weather was getting warmer, and the sun was shining brightly, so I had decided to stick to the shade whilst the guys played catch in the park. I left Frank whimpering and giggling on the grass and settled down beneath the tree again to watch. I yawned, stretched my arms up and lay down staring out the clouds. I let the warmth of the day envelop me and my eyelids gradually got heavier and heavier. The sounds of the guys playing got further and further away and soon I was fast asleep.

**MIKEY'S POV**

The ball flew over my head. I bolted after it, followed closely behind by a charging Ray. We were both trying to catch it. I felt his hands reach out to grab my tee-shirt to pull me back. But I narrowly escaped.

"I'm too good for you, Tofro!" I yelled behind me.  
"That's what you think!" he called back, laughing. After all my attempts at avoiding him, he gripped my shirt and pulled me back. I fell to the floor and he roared with laughter as he walked back towards me, waving the ball in his hand.

"Better luck next time, huh?" he chuckled.

"That's totally unfair play," I growled as he pulled me to my feet. He aimed, and threw it hard towards Bob, who caught it with ease. Soon it became a game of catch between just Ray and Bob, as Frank and Willow were now off walking somewhere and I was tired out. So I plonked my self down beside a sleeping Gee who was snoring softly. I leant against the tree and closed my eyes too.

**FRANK'S POV**

I slid my hand into hers as we walked under the trees. She was humming 'Early Sunsets Over Monroeville' gently, and smiling. I squeezed her hand and she grinned at me.

"So. What are we doing for Gee's birthday?" she asked, stopping.

"Wow. Huh, I hadn't honestly thought about that!" I replied. It was true. Life had been so hectic recently that I had forgotten it was Gee's birthday soon.

"Frank! He's your best friend! His birthday is April 9th which is only a few weeks away! We need to _plan_ something!" She lead me over to the roots of a large tree and we sat down.  
"Hmm. We'll have to talk to the rest of the guys about that. Come up with something." I closed my eyes and leant back against the tree trunk. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes in time to see Willow kiss me. Her lips were soft and warm against my own, and I pulled her closer. She broke away slowly and snuggled down into my arms. I stroked her hair as she lay there.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," she breathed back. I kissed the top of her head lovingly. I loved her so god damn much.

**MIKEY'S POV**

I was snoozing away when suddenly through my subconscious I heard a very familiar voice.

"Mikey…Mikey…wake up…" a velvet female voice whispered into my ear. I blinked my eyes open and saw Alicia's gorgeous brown eyes staring into mine. She smiled as I leaned in and kissed her.

"You made it!" I breathed, after a passionate five minute kiss. She sat down beside me and leant her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, my mum decided she couldn't be bothered to go shopping today. I'm glad. I'd rather be here with you," she sighed softly, kissing me again. I pulled her on top of me and she stuck her tongue deep into my throat.

"Ahem," came a small voice followed by a cough. We both broke apart. Gee was lying on the grass the exact way he had been the past hour. Asleep. Or so I thought. A very small smile was perched on his lips. I punched his arm.

"Piss off, Gee," I growled jokingly. He giggled and snapped open his eyes. He winked at me as he sat up.

"Hey Al," he chuckled.

"Hey Gee," she smiled and he propped himself up against the tree beside us.

"How long was I out?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Around an hour," I sighed, kissing Alicia on the cheek. She wrapped her arms tighter around me and kissed my neck. Gee rolled his eyes.

"I'm off," he groaned, and he got up and left in the direction of home.

**GERARD'S POV  
**

It was like he was _bragging _about having a girlfriend. Didn't he know how jealous I was of him already? And of Frank and Willow? I just wanted someone to have, someone to kiss, someone to whisper 'I love you' to and mean it. I growled and drove my hands deep into my pockets. But, me being me, I would grow up alone. No one would ever love me. I kicked a stone hard and it hurtled along in front of me. I glanced up and saw Willow and Frank beneath one of the trees, hugging and kissing.

"For fuck's sake," I scowled under my breath, and walked towards the exit. I slammed the gate shut and stormed home, where I flopped down on my bed. I then pulled out my sketch pad and stared at the blank page. My pen hovered over it, waiting. What to draw… So I drew my perfect woman. I stuck my tongue out as I concentrated. It took me around forty five minutes to complete, but when I was finally done, I grinned widely. There she was. Long black hair flowing behind her, she stood like a superhero. Her hands on her hips and staring up into the sky. A guitar was slung across her front – she was a musician. She was also beautiful. But I guess I was shooting to high again. Me? Get a woman like _that_? Pffffft. Yeah right. Come back down to earth, Gerard.


	33. Black Is The Kiss

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Gerard?" I sobbed when he picked up the receiver.

"Willow? What's up honey?" he answered anxiously.

"It's…I…Me and Frank broke up!" I burst out, bawling down the phone.

"Oh no! Why?" He seemed so worried.

"It just wasn't working. We argued all the time," I sniffed.

"I never heard you argue!"

"We did. When you guys weren't around."

"Oh babe, I'm so sorry!"

"Gee…I need you," I whimpered desperately. I just needed to be comforted.

"Ok. I'll be over in a few." And he put the phone down. I sat, hugging my knees for about five minutes, when the door bell rang. I opened the door and he threw his arms around me. "It's ok," he hushed as he stroked my hair. I cried into his shoulder. We sat on the sofa and I curled up in his arms.  
"I thought you two were happy," he sighed, brushing some strands of hair out of my eyes.

"No…" I hiccupped. I snuggled into his warmth.

"Fancy a coffee?" he asked. I nodded and I shuffled into the kitchen after him. He busied himself with the kettle and the mugs. I sat at the table, shivering. "Here," he said finally, placing my Batman mug in front of me. I stared into the coffee. He rubbed my shoulder and slid into the chair beside me. "It's going to be ok," he cooed.  
"No it won't," I replied defiantly. He put his finger under my chin and made me look at him.

"When have I ever been wrong?" he asked, a small smile on his lips. I shrugged, trying to avoid his eyes. But eventually I couldn't help it and his gaze met mine. He captivated me. I had never realised how beautiful his eyes were before. They were a soft hazel, with a deep brown ring around the outside of his iris. He stared back at me, like he was looking deep into my soul.

"Gee," I breathed. He looked as though he was trying to say something, but he just couldn't find the words. Very slowly, I moved my face closer to his. I heard his breath catch. His eyes were wide. I put my hand on his cheek, and then slid it round so it was on the back of his neck. Our foreheads touched and I gazed down his nose. He looked up into my eyes again. I felt his hand on my side, and it was trembling from anticipation. Slowly, my hand snaked along his neck and then I ran it down his chest. I watched it as it went down. He sighed gently. As I looked back up his lips met mine hungrily, passion burning through us like a roaring fire and-

I sat bolt upright in bed, my face ploughed with sweat. I gasped as I recalled my dream from moments before. What-the-fuck? That dream wasn't anywhere near reality, thank god. Frank and I never argued. But I felt an odd tingle on my lips – like Gee really had just been kissing me. I touched my mouth and shivered. I dragged up all the blurry and near-forgotten images of the kiss and my body trembled with pleasure.  
"Argh, NO!" I growled angrily at myself, punching the bed sheets. I glanced out of the window. Still dark. I flicked on my phone. 3am. I couldn't sleep now! I didn't want to feel that way about Gee. He was my friend, that was all. But still…part of me knew that if Frank hadn't been attacked that night we met… And I hadn't kissed him… I would probably have fallen for Gee. But since Frank had stolen my heart, those feelings had never surfaced…until now. I hit the sheets again violently, and rubbed my eyes. I clambered out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen. I heard Jared softly snoring in his room as I passed his door. I flicked on the kettle and picked at a bit of cake. Soon I was snuggled on the sofa, sipping coffee and unwillingly thinking about the dream. 'I love Frank' I kept telling myself. It was true, I loved Frank deeply, but Gerard…Oh Gerard…Just one kiss…One stolen, tender kiss… I snapped back out of my daydream and into the room, snarling at myself.

"Shut up, you shithead!" I cursed at myself. Rather too loudly. I heard Jared grunt and shuffle in his bed. Footsteps. His door opened and he blinked sleepily at me.

"Will? Wha argh yew doin'?" he asked, barely able to speak through his tiredness.  
"Nothing," I lied. "Couldn't sleep." He yawned and slumped down beside me. He leant his head on my shoulder. He breathed in, ready to talk. Hopefully he would lead my mind away from Gerard.

"So Gee has no clue about his birthday surprise then?" he mumbled.

"Shut up about Gerard!" I yelled as I jumped to my feet. I was shocked at myself. I hadn't even thought about what I had been doing. Jared's tired eyes were now wide and he looked speechless. I stormed off to my room and slammed the door, more angry at myself than anything else. Why had I just shouted at my best friend? I fell onto my bed and screamed into my pillow. I tried to force Gerard out of my head, but failed miserably. The door creaked open and Jay slid into my bed next to me. He wrapped his arms around me.  
"What's wrong, baby?" he whispered into my ear. I sniffled.

"I-I had a dream…" I mumbled.

"…about?"

"…Gerard…" I barely even spoke his name.

"What happened?"

"I-I-I kissed him!" I blurted out, sobbing. How could I be so pathetic? Jay squeezed me tightly.

"Oh honey that doesn't mean anything! It was just a _dream!" _He thought he was right. But it wasn't just a dream. The feelings…the emotions…they were all…all…real… Could I tell my best friend? The boy I knew *secretly* fancied Gee too? He was never one to tell who he crushed on. He wouldn't even tell me. Not that I minded. It was his choice to share that information or not. But could I let him know? Would he think I was in some way cheating on Frank? I gulped. Should I tell him?

"I guess you're right," I replied softly. "It was just a…dream…"

***LATER THAT DAY***

All those thoughts of Gee had left my mind since the previous night. They had lasted for a few hours until finally they died down and crawled to the back of my mind once more. I felt relieved. Just a passing flood of feelings. I smiled to myself and squeezed Frank's hand tighter. We swung our hands as we entered through the school door. We had decided to walk to school that morning. Just the two of us. Well, I had decided. "Just to get some exercise", I had told him. Not that it had anything to do with me not wanting to face Gee. Nothing to do with that WHATSOEVER. I opened my locker and threw my crap in. I checked my face in the mirror. Not _too _bad today… I shut the locker and the face that greeted me when I turned around completely wiped the smile off of my face. My heart rate increased. The feelings from the night before enveloped me once again. My palms got sweaty.

"Hey girl!" Gerard chirped, grinning his tooth grin at me. He pulled me into the usual hug. But this time it was less usual. I found myself squeezing him tighter, my hands sliding across his back more sensually and lightly. I pulled away slowly, catching his gaze. Those eyes…those eyes from my dream… But then reality hit me. I recoiled sharply and looked at the floor. Thankfully, _he _had noticed no difference in the hug. I sighed in relief. Frank's hand found mine again. I need to get Gerard out of my head once and for all. So, I grabbed Frank and pressed my lips firmly against his. He was shocked at first but responded eagerly. It seemed to be working. His scent, his touch, his lips… _They _were what I desired most. Not Gee. Frank was my guy. My ONLY guy. People began wolf-whistling and making kissing noises. The rest of the gang began coughing shyly. I ignored them all. I pushed Frank against the locker and ran my hands through his hair. I was doing it. Kissing Frank was making me remember just how much I loved him. I pressed myself against him. Suddenly, a reluctant hand tapped my shoulder. We both spun around, giggling.

"Please. Not in school. In your own time," Mr. Hunt sighed, trying not to watch my hand as it travelled down Frank's chest and stomach to his belt buckle. Frank tensed up but Mr. Hunt glared at us. We broke apart, still giggling. The guys were staring at us. The bustle of the hallway continued once again. Gee caught my eye. All my efforts with Frank had been in vain. Frank had only pushed those 'Gee' feelings aside. He hadn't destroyed them. I gulped. Ah, shit!


	34. Are You Thinking Of Him?

**GERARD'S POV  
**

Jared had joined us by our tree at lunch. He sat down beside me and we all kept look-out for teachers. I was busy munching away at the usual lunch shit when I got the feeling someone was watching me. Without moving my head, I looked about and found that my eyes met Willow's, who immediately looked away. Odd. She hadn't even smiled at me. Her cheeks had turned a rosy pink too. Why was she embarrassed? I sat there, confused, but finally decided it was nothing and went back to my lunch.

"So," Jared said slowly, stretching, captivating all our attention. "You know what I feel like? A _vacation."_

"We'd all love a vacation, but _some of us _can't afford it," I grumbled. I saw him smile. Anger boiled up inside me. "You don't need to fucking smirk at people less well-off than you! God, I didn't know until now that you look down your nose at us!" I growled loudly and angrily. He was in shock. They all were. He seemed to snap out of it and waved his hands in despair.

"Gee! I wasn't laughing at you! I was simply _trying _to get into this topic for specific reasons!" he hurried.

"What fucking reasons?" I snarled, awaiting his response. He winced at my rage.

"Calm down, Gerard!" Mikey sighed. "Let him speak!"

"Well, he's ruined my build-up to it now anyway…" Jared groaned. I was totally confused.

"What the fuck are you guys _on about_?" I urged. They all smiled at one another.

"We're taking you on VACATION!" they cried out in unison. I gasped.

"Whaaaaat?" was all I managed. Jared giggled and hugged me.  
"We're hitting Miami beach, baby!" he squealed, grinning.

"Bu-but why?" I asked.

"For you birthday, retard!" Ray piped up. My jaw dropped.

"Guys, I don't know what to say!" I beamed. I turned to Jared. "Sorry dude. I thought that before, you know…"

"No hard feelings, right?" he smiled. I nodded.  
"How the hell are we getting there? How are we going to afford it?" I inquired. I was strapped for cash.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. We've hired a minivan which Bob will drive, and I've got a beach house down there. It's going to be so much fun!" Jared squeaked, hugging me harder. I couldn't believe they'd planned this all for me.

"Wow…Thank you!" I managed finally, and they piled me with hugs. Willow's hug was less enthusiastic, and she kept avoiding my gaze. I needed to find out what was up. Luckily, we both had English next and so I caught up with her as we walked toward class. I pulled her to one side of the corridor, but she was reluctant. I tried to force her to look in my eyes. "What have I done?" I asked sadly, feeling as though I had let her down in some way. She blinked at me with a faintness of shock in her eyes.

"Gee, you haven't done anything," she replied.

"Then what's up with you? You seem so sad," I rubbed her arm but she tensed under my touch. Why?

"I'm _fine,"_ she sighed, pushing past me to go into class. I caught her by her arm. She span on her heel and faced me.

"Willow, you can trust me. Tell me what's wrong and I'll try and fix it, I promise." I saw something in her eyes then. A sort of…shimmer of something.

"Gee, I…" she began. I waited nervously. "…I can't…" she sniffed and ran into the room. I was stunned. Why was she acting like this? I needed to find out!

**WILLOW'S POV**

I was on the brink of crying. What he had said about trying to help me… _"I'll try and fix it, I promise." _That had made me love him even more… Love? What the hell? I don't love Gerard! I slumped down onto my desk and for the entire class not once did I turn to look at him like I usually did. I hated myself. I was such a bitch. I actually paid attention to the teacher this time and learnt some stuff. Apparently we had an essay due for two days time. Shit. Oh well, I would fail this class anyway. Once the bell tolled I darted out of the room before Gerard had even risen from his seat. I ran down the corridor and straight into Mikey.

"Woah!" I cried out, just about dodging him so we wouldn't collide.

"You're in a hurry!" he laughed. I laughed nervously back at him, glancing around for any sign off Gerard. "Hey, have you seen Liss? She said she'd meet me after class…" He was looking around too.

"No, sorry Milky Way. Look, I gotta get to my next class, so I'll see you after school, ok?" He nodded and we parted ways.

At the end of the day, I was walking down the corridor towards the exit when I felt arms wrap around me from behind. I came to a halt and was about to throw them over my shoulder when I heard Frank's giggle. I spun around in his arms and kissed him.  
"Hey!" I smiled. I mentally kicked the part of my brain that wanted him to be Gerard. His face turned more serious. I nearly shit myself. What if Frank had read my mind?

"So…What's up with you? Gee says you're acting really off with him. What's happened?" I sighed to myself in relief.  
"Nothing's happened! Everything fine. I'm just really tired today, that's all. And Gerard got in my line of fire…" I winced as he took in what I said. Was he buying it?

"You should really get to bed earlier then!" Yep, he'd bought it. We walked hand in hand out of the school doors and joined the others on the steps. I breathed in. I walked over to Gerard.

"Gee?" I almost whispered. He glanced up. "I'm sorry I treated you that way earlier. I'm just so tired and I took it out on you…" He, however, seemed not as convinced as Frank. But he got up, and hugged me, sending shivers down my spine.

"Ok, I forgive you," he sighed. "You're going to tell me the truth later though," he whispered into my ear when he pulled away. I gulped. Oh I wasn't out of the shit yet.

**JARED'S POV**

Her dream was affecting Gee's and Will's relationship. She was always tensed up around him, and she kept watching him. Had she told me everything last night? Perhaps it wasn't _just _a dream. Maybe there was an edge of truth to the feelings behind it. Did she have feelings towards Gee? Why couldn't she just _tell me? _I was her best friend. Bob came and picked up the guys in his car and Willow and I walked home. I took her hand. She had relaxed – finally – since Gee had gone.  
"Will…" I began. She stopped and cocked her head to one side.

"Yeah?"

"That wasn't just a dream last night, was it?" I saw her go rigid. I heard her gulp. Then, obviously composing herself, she blinked and breathed out.

"Of course it was just a dream. You can't control dreams," she replied calmly. She began to walk off but I stopped her.

"You can't lie to me, Willow Rush. For one, you don't lie to your best friend. And two, you physically CANNOT lie to me. I can tell whenever you're lying." She blinked.

"I…can't tell you…" she whispered. I hugged her.

"Of course you can. I won't judge you. We'll try to find a way to work it out," I cooed.

"But you like him too, don't you?" I stared down at her, wide-eyed.

"You…you know?" She nodded.

"Of course I do. I can read you like a book, buddy," she giggled softly.

"Do any of the others know?" I asked desperately. She shook her head.

"No, just me. Your not obvious about it at all. I just…_know you._"  
"So…you _do _like him?" I asked wonderingly. Her cheeks flushed red as she nodded ever so slightly. "Oh honey, what about Frank?" I saw a tear form in her eye.

"I love Frank so much! But I can't help liking Gee too!" she sobbed. I pulled her into another hug.

"We have to find a way to get you over Gee. Otherwise your friendship as you know it is changed forever. And Frank can never know. Otherwise it'll be over with you two and his friendship with Gee will be changed forever." She sobbed harder.

"This isn't helping me!" she bawled.

"But honey, I'm just warning you! Get over Gee. It's probably a passing crush. You'll be over it soon, I promise." She sniffled. She pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"You're right. I'll just ignore those feelings and hopefully they'll just go away," she said defiantly.

"How much do you love Frank?" I asked.

"So much it hurts."

"Would you risk losing him just so you can chance it with Gee? Could you hurt him that badly?"

"No. No I couldn't."

"Keep that in mind whenever you think about Gee in anyway…sexual…" We both snorted immaturely at the last word, even though this was a serious conversation.

"And that should get me over him?" she asked nervously.

"It should…well, it could help," I replied sheepishly.  
"Great," she answered, rolling her less teary eyes and continuing the journey back to the apartment.


	35. It's Not A Fashion Statement

**MIKEY'S POV**

I crept down the hallway on the morn of the 9th of April. I slowly opened Gee's door and winced as it creaked. He grunted and I froze. Then I heard him start snoring again. I tip-toed over to his bed and was about to jump him when I realised how unusually innocent he looked lying there asleep. It was strange to see him so peaceful. I studied him for a second, then decided it was time. I pounced on his bed and yelled.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO!" He growled loudly and threw me off the bed onto the floor. I giggled as I got to my feet. He sat up in bed, saw the time on the clock – 7am – and cursed under his breath. I heard my name get mentioned a few times but just laughed. He looked up at me and scowled.

"You should be happy! It's your birthday!" I said gleefully.

"Does this look like the face of a happy person?" He pointed at his face. "Do I not even get a fucking lie-in?" I shook my head.

"Nope." I perched myself on the end of his bed and he glared at me, but when he saw the present in my hand, it disappeared.

"Is that…for me?" he asked quietly, staring at it.

"Yup, here bro, happy birthday," I replied, handing him the flat parcel. His eyes were glinting with anticipation. He tore open the paper and gasped.

"No. Fucking. Way!" he squealed, turning the present over and over in his hands in disbelief. "How the…where the…who the…How the FUCK did you GET THIS?"

"I know people," I winked. He was flipping through a first edition Batman comic that was extremely rare. I had bought it from a small comic book store at the other side of town. The guy who ran it didn't seem – for some reason – to be all that into comics. So when I came across the first edition, and inquired as to the price, he gave me the regular sale price. I was shocked. I kept checking it really said first edition, and it certainly did. So he sold it to me. Even though it hadn't been too expensive, I knew it would mean so much to Gee.

"Mikey… Thank you…" he grinned. He hugged me tightly – something he hadn't done in a long time. I felt a sharp twang of brotherly love in that moment and I guessed Gee did too. He sat back in bed opened the comic at the first page. I immediately shut it.  
"Oh no. You have to get up and get ready. Mum and Dad are waiting downstairs to give you your gifts!" His face lit up upon the word 'gifts' and he seemed to bounce out of bed. I left him to it and joined my parents in the kitchen.

**GERARD'S POV**

I yawned as I shuffled down the stairs. I shouldn't have just jumped out of bed like that. Now I felt a bit shit. I entered the kitchen to the sound of my parents screaming "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and bombarding me with hugs and kisses.  
"Thanks," I smiled as they stood back. I brushed my long hair out of my eyes but it fell back in front of them again. It was starting to get on my nerves recently. Mum watched as I fought with my hair. Dad handed me a large soft parcel.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo," he grinned. I tore at the paper and gasped.

"Fuck! A leather jacket!" I squealed, pulling out the stylish black jacket I had wanted so badly. I nearly NEARLY cried with joy. This must have cost them so fucking much. "Mum…Dad…Wow, this is so amazing. Thank you!" They piled on me with hugs again. Then my Mum handed me yet another gift. It was a lot smaller and harder than the last. I opened the wrapping to find a black case. I opened that and picked out a pair of sunglasses.

"We thought they would go with the jacket, and plus, they'll be perfect for you trip!" my Mum chirped. I felt tears brimming in my eyes. They'd been so generous. We weren't exactly the richest of families. These shades must have been so much too. I threw myself at them and hugged them tight.

"Shit guys, I like, can't thank you fucking enough," I exclaimed.

"Well, let's see them on!" Mum squeaked. So I put on my new jacket then threw on my shades. Well, I say threw on…they got tangled in my hair at first. That's when Mum sighed loudly, frowning.

"Right, that's IT," she said suddenly. "A new age, a new look." And with that she just left the room.

"What's she on about?" I asked. My Dad and Mikey shrugged. She came back with the hair clippers. I backed away. "Oh no. No no no."

"Oh yes. Yes yes yes," she replied defiantly. That hair is just annoying you and it's annoying me too. You're beginning to look like a girl. At least look like a boy? Just until it grows back? See if you like it?" I began to protest but her glare made me shiver. She wouldn't give up on this now. I guess she was right. It had been annoying me. So I huffed and sat down at the kitchen table.

"How short are we going here?" I gulped.

"Cropped short. Like a boy would wear it. Don't worry honey. I'm not turning you bald!" I shivered at the word bald. So, unlike the usual me, I just let her do it. I didn't put up a fight. I watched as my long black locks fell silently to the floor. What the fuck would I look like?

**MIKEY'S POV**

I watched apprehensively as she cut his hair. I couldn't remember Gee without long hair. The trimmings made a weak black carpet on the kitchen floor beneath the chair. Slowly but surely, Gee completely and utterly changed before my eyes. I could see him clearly for the first time since…well…forever. His eyes, his eyebrows, his cheeks, his _ears. _He certainly did look more like a boy. Much more like a boy.

"There," Mum said proudly, turning off the clippers. "Well, go take a look!" Nervously, Gee got up and he faced me. My jaw dropped.

"What?" he whimpered. "I look like shit, don't I?" I shook my head furiously.

"No…you look…well…_normal." _He rolled his eyes and left the room in search of a mirror. We waiting anxiously in silence, awaiting the verdict.

"HOLY SHIT!" There it was. The verdict. He ran back into the room. "Mum…wow. Great job." He blushed and she stood there, triumphant.

"_Now _try on your new stuff!" I piped up gleefully. He pulled on the jacket, then slid his new shades on smoothly, no hair getting in the way.  
"Well?" he asked.

"You look so flippin' cool it's actually unfair," I grimaced.

**WILLOW'S POV**

I parked my car in the lot and began to walk towards school.  
"Willow! Wait up!" a familiar female voice called from behind me. Liss joined me at my side and we walked together.

"What did you get Gee?" she asked wonderingly.

"You'll have to wait and see tonight. Not that it's all that exciting," I chuckled. "What about you?"

"I didn't know what to get him…so I just got him a Batman action figure…" she giggled. I giggled too.

"I bet you he'll love it," I assured her. We reached the school steps.

"I hope so – woah! Who's _that_?" I followed her now-dreamy gaze to a somewhat familiar figure walking towards us. How did I recognise him? He wore blue skinny jeans, a black tee-shirt and a hot black leather jacket. Over his eyes he wore a pair of designer sunglasses. He was _hot. _He must be new. So why was he walking over to us? We weren't cool. The cool kids hung out on the other side of school. Liss nudged me.  
"He's coming this way! What do we do?" she whispered frantically in my ear.  
"I don't know!" I whispered back. As he grew closer, I began recognising him more and more. The shape of his face, his nose… He flashed us a grin and when I saw that smile I almost died. I knew who that was. Apparently so did Liss.

"Oh my…_shit," _she gasped. He reached us and whipped off his shades sexily. He raised an eyebrow at our expressions.

"Morning ladies," Gerard winked smoothly.


	36. Happy Birthday Dear Gerard

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Holy shit, your _hair," _I gasped, holding back my urge to touch his new "do" as I knew it would send a jolt of passionate electricity through my body. His face dropped.

"What? Does it look bad?" he asked, a terrified look crossing his face. Both Liss and I shook our head immediately.

"No it looks AMAZING!" Liss squeaked, gazing at him. She was right. He now looked extremely hot. Great. Just what I needed to help me get over him. "And nice shades, dude," she added, complimenting him. "And is that a new jacket?" He nodded.

"Sweet, huh?" he asked, checking himself out in the window. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, Mister _Vain,"_ I urged, walking threw the door. He joined me at my side.

"I am not _vain," _he growled, but I heard laughter behind the growl. I stopped.  
"Happy birthday by the way," I smiled. As a good friend should, I hugged him. But I hated hugging him because it made me not ever want to let go. Getting over Gerard was harder than I ever thought possible. We broke apart. Liss piped up a 'happy birthday' and he hugged her too. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind and spun her around.

"Cheating on me with my brother now, are we?" Mikey asked in mock-anger.

"Of course! Who are you again?" she giggled. He kissed her lovingly.

"Remember me now?" he pleaded, chuckling.  
"I may need another one of those to remember…" she hinted, and he kissed her again. I tore my eyes away from the lovey-dovey scene and stood there awkwardly with Gee. Then Gee pointed behind me, and at Mikey.

"There's your one of those," he chuckled. I spun round and saw Frank and Ray walked through the door at the other end of the corridor, chatting away. They must have sensed us as they both looked up and smiled. When Frank reached me he hugged me tightly and planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Mornin' shorty," I giggled, and he pulled a face. He turned to Gee.

"Happy birthday man! The big one-seven! How old do you feel?" Gee punched his arm.

"I'm not old!" he laughed. Ray and the fro wished Gee a happy birthday too, and we were all full of high spirits that whole day. At lunch Frank produced a small (and slightly squashed) boxed chocolate cake from his bag. Gee's face lit up but turned red as we sang 'Happy Birthday' really loudly before we all dived into the cake. The only thing that truly bugged me that day was the sudden rise (well, the sudden beginning) of girls staring at Gee. Like, properly noticing him. I guess they had every right. He had suddenly turned from long-haired, greasy-haired shadow-lurker to a fresh-faced, short-haired, leather-jacketed, hot guy who had suddenly acquired a new swagger and a pair of flashy shades. What was not to stare at? But still it bugged me. I guess it was jealousy that one of those girls could catch his eye too. And then she would get lucky and they would be together, loved up and all over each other. Argh, these stupid fucking feelings!

**GERARD'S POV**

I had begun noticing that girls were looking at me. Like, properly looking at me. Did my new look really make me so much more of something to look at? I kept blushing when I saw them staring. It was all so new. But it boosted my confidence. It gave me a new _desire _to be noticed. If I was worth looking at, let them look. Holy shit, I _was _vain. But I couldn't help it in such an awesome leather jacket and super-cool sunglasses. The entire day was great. Frank got me a cake, and they embarrassed the shit out of me when they sang. But as I sat at the table it hit me what incredible friends I had. It proved you didn't need to be popular to have a good time at high-school. All you needed was a group of people who loved you for you, who would stick by you through thick and thin, and buy you your favourite cake on your birthday.

**FRANK'S POV**

After school, we were collected by Bob in the minivan. He too wished Gee a happy birthday and we set off to Willow and Jared's apartment. There we picked up Jared who _also _said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' and their suitcases. We took them back to the Way house where we were sleeping that night and leaving for Miami the next morning. We piled out of the car and into the cheery Way household, where colourful banners were strung and balloons floated.

"Shit, people, you didn't need to go all out," Gee mumbled to his parents.

"Of course we did! It IS your big day, after all!" Gee rolled his eyes and stood there looking embarrassed. Mikey flicked on the stereo and Queen came pouring through the speakers. We ordered pizza and whilst we waited for it to arrive, Gee opened his presents.

"Liss, this is AWESOME!" he cried as he admired his new Batman figurine. She blushed.

"I wasn't sure what to get you. I knew you like comics and Batman so I thought that would be ok." Ray handed over his.

"Tofro, thanks!" Gee held in his hand a new wallet. It was black and leather so it matched his new jacket. Bob gave Gee a grey beanie hat.

"Now you can be cool like me," Bob grinned, pointing at his own beanie.

"Hey, Gee. Here." I smiled, handing over a box. Gee raised his eyebrow and shook the box. It rattled.

"Oowh," he grinned and opened it. "Shit!" We all gathered closer as Gee produced a remote control helicopter from the box. He held it up, wide-eyed.

"You said you thought they were cool, so I decided to get you one." He grinned widely.

"Frank, this is epic. Thanks bro!" He hugged me and then Jared passed him his gift.

"A Misfit tee-shirt and jacket? Wow! Jay, thanks!" Jared blushed as Gee hugged him. Jay didn't know that I knew about their kiss. I would never judge him because of it. To be honest, homophobia is gay. There's nothing wrong with a guy loving a guy.

"Willow…wow…this is…wow…" I glanced up. He was holding a large art set filled with everything he would ever need art-wise. His eyes were wide and he was looking at the art box lovingly.  
"I saw you were running low on supplies…so I thought this would help…" He hugged her tightly and I saw her blush. Aw, that blush again. Since being around us and feeling comfortable she didn't blush as much any more. However, recently she had been blushing quite a lot. Wait…she was only really blushing around Gee… Did she…did she _like _him? No. I couldn't be so paranoid. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. But I couldn't help but notice the way she watched him. It wasn't like the way she watched Mikey or Bob or Ray. Hmm.


	37. Did We All Fall Down?

**WILLOW'S POV**

The pizza soon arrived and we ate to our stomach's content. I giggled when I saw Bob had a huge smear of tomato sauce on his chin.

"Bob," I chuckled. He looked at me.  
"What?" he asked, worry strung in his tone. I pointed at my chin and then at his. He touched it and looked at his now red fingers in horror. "Crap," he groaned, wiping the rest off onto his sleeve. I glanced about for Frank, who was already watching me. He had an unhappy look on his face. I sidled over to him and perched myself on the edge of his chair.

"What up Iero?" I asked in a light tone, trying to make him crack a smile. He shrugged.

"Nothing," he replied unconvincingly. I raised my eyebrow. "Honestly, I'm fine!" he sighed, but I heard a hint of a growl in his voice. I put my arm around his shoulder but he didn't lean into me. He grabbed a piece of garlic bread and began to eat it.

"Now I don't want to kiss your mouth. It'll taste like garlic!" I pulled a face.  
"Maybe you'll want to kiss someone else instead then?" he replied questioningly, flatness in each word. My eyes widened.

"What?" I semi-gasped. What the fuck?

"Just saying," he huffed, throwing the end of the bread into his mouth. I sat there in stunned silence.  
"What are you getting at, Frank?" I asked, worried of the answer. He shook his head and excused himself from the table. I sat on the chair, nervous. Everyone else was in their own conversations. I left the table and found Frank outside, smoking a cigarette. "You want to tell me what that was all about in there?"

"Nope. I was just plainly saying-" he began.

"Saying _what_? You don't just say that to your girlfriend!" I growled.

"Well you do say it to a girlfriend who obviously isn't as interested in you anymore!" he snapped, throwing his cigarette to the floor angrily. I froze. I saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Frank I-"

"I've seen the looks you give Gerard. You blush around him all the time. Just like you used to do with me," he burst out, his voice breaking at certain points. I couldn't speak. He knew. "I knew it," he snarled when I didn't respond.

"No no, Frank I…I like him…yes…but I _love _you! Gerard is…Gerard. He's handsome and nice but he's not _you. _Surely you think other girls are like that?" It was true. That was the way I felt. I liked Gerard a lot. But he could never be Frankie. I saw the pain glazing his eyes.

**FRANK'S POV**

She was right. There was someone I liked. But only a little. Gee. Same as her. That kiss we had shared at Christmas had stuck with me. She raised an eyebrow. I nearly gasped when I realised I had kissed Gee when I had been with Willow. I had done something out of line. But still, to know she crushed on Gee was like a blow to the chest. She gasped when I kept silent.

"There _is _someone you like, isn't there?" Her eyes were wide. Should I tell her?

"A-at Christmas…Gerard and I….we….we…kissed…" Her jaw nearly dropped off.

"Say whaaaaat?" she cried. "But we were…we were dating at Christmas!" Her face fell as her realisation set in. I blinked sadly.

"I'm sorry! I had only done it to prove a point! But part of me had…had wanted to as well…"

"So what, you're gay now? Well I guess this is over then if you're not into girls anymore!" she spat.

"No I'm not fucking gay! I love you!" I groaned, trying to hug her. But she pulled away.

"No you don't. I never kissed Gee. You did. I only like him."

"Of course I love you! We can work this out!" I moaned desperately.

"No. We both like the same guy. And we're in a relationship together. How can we carry this on if we both know we like Gee?"  
"But I don't _like _like him! It was just the kiss that made me feel even slightly like that!"

**WILLOW'S POV**

I guess he had a point. I had only liked Gee when I had dreamt of kissing him. Maybe it was just kissing someone else that made us like him. But still. This had caused a major rift in our relationship. How could we ever pull through it? I loved Frank. As I was standing there thinking, I didn't have time to react when Frank pressed his lips against mine. I was frozen for a second in shock, but realisation kicked in. His mouth moved against mine hard, and I felt his longing for this to not separate us. I pressed myself into him and kissed him back. But it was too awkward. Finally we broke apart.

"This won't work any more, will it?" he sniffed, his face completely heartbroken. A dull, heavy pain thudded in my chest.

"Frankie…" I whimpered, tears brimming in my eyes. "I don't think it will."


	38. Drowning Lessons

**FRANK'S POV**

I swear my heart just shattered there and then. There she was, the most wonderful girl ever. And no longer mine. She blinked at me and tears ran down her face. I guessed they were running down mine too.  
"Frankie," she whispered, her voice crumpling. She ran into my arms and I squeezed her tightly.  
"I'm so sorry," I gulped, my entire throat throbbing with pain. She sobbed into my chest.

"So am I," she bawled, clinging onto my shirt. "I wish that we could go back to before Christmas. Back to when we were perfect." I stroked her hair.

"So do I," I choked.

"I still want to be your friend," she added defiantly. I nodded.

"And I still want to be yours."

"What are we going to tell the guys? What will we tell them was the reason for us…ending?" she choked on the last word.

"Maybe we should leave it until tomorrow. We can't ruin Gee's day." It hurt to say his name now. He was the cause of all this. But it wasn't actually his fault. He knew nothing about any of this. She nodded slowly and I wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes were puffy and red. I couldn't believe we'd ended. But it was true. If we both felt awkward together from now on, how could we possibly have had a proper relationship? But I would never, ever stop loving her. We stood their hugging in an awkward silence. Finally she pulled away. She suddenly stopped and stared and my shoulder. I frowned. Fear was apparent in her eyes.  
"What?" I asked nervously, completely freaking. She just raised her hand and shakily pointed her finger at my shoulder. I slowly glanced down to my shoulder and screamed.

"SHIIIIIIIT! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! EEEEKKKK!" I exploded, afraid to even flick off the huge spider that had taken up residence on my shoulder. I jittered around, shaking with absolute fear. Suddenly a dishcloth whacked my shoulder, freaking the shit outta me even more. Willow had attacked the spider with a dishcloth that had been on the washing line. What a legendary move. "Is it…is it gone?" I cried out pathetically, too scared to even look at my shoulder. She stared at the dishcloth. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Yep." She held up the squashed, horrific creature now a part of the cloth. "Definitely gone." We stared at each other for a second.

"I wasn't _that _scared you know," I huffed, straightening myself out. She looked like she would burst. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing.

"You-shit-your-pants" she breathed through her hysteria.

"No I didn't! It just caught me off guard!" I growled, but this only made her laugh harder. But then I recalled how completely retarded I must have looked and cracked up laughing too. Eventually, we calmed down and sniggered as we walked back inside. The saddened air had lifted slightly and I was happier for the time being.

**WILLOW'S POV**

The spider incident had made me a bit more cheery, and I kept giggling at Frank who mockingly glared at me. We re-entered the house quietly to find the guys playing Twister. They were falling all over each other and giggling.

"Right hand….erm….wait for it to stop spinning…red!" Mikey cried, and they all tried desperately to sort themselves out. However, Bob made the fatal mistake of trying to put his hand over Liss, who collapsed onto the floor along with the rest of them. They burst out into hysterical laughter. They all rolled off of each other and Ray caught sight of us. He wolf whistled.

"So, where have _you _two been?" he asked questioningly, grinning. I glanced at Frank. His face dropped at the same time as mine. Reminders of what had just happened between us sent me back down the spiral to the brink of crying again. Frank put his arm around me.

"None of your business!" he chuckled to Ray. But I heard the pain in his laughter. Just trying to make everything seem ok. I sat beside Mikey and put my head on his shoulder as he spun the dial again. After a few spins, he shrugged his shoulder to get my attention.

"Don't you want to join in?" he asked, smiling down at me.

"Nah. I'm good at the minute." So he turned back to the game. Frank joined in and looked as though he was having fun. Finally the game ended in laughter and sweat. Everyone crawled into a circle on the floor. I dropped down beside Mikey and Ray. Frank smiled at me weakly from across the circle. I smiled back.  
"Wait," Mikey said suddenly. He turned to me. "When is your birthday?" My eye's widened. Ah shit.

"Erm….February 13th…" I replied quietly. They all gasped.

"Whaaaaat? That means…that means you HAD your birthday and didn't TELL us?" Gee cried, shocked. I blushed. I had mentioned my birthday when I'd first met them, but it had only be a small part of the conversation.

"No, I just didn't want to make a big deal of it…" I sighed. They all still stared at me. Not Jay though. He pretended to not be listening. But Gee turned on him.

"You must've known! Why didn't you tell us?" he growled. Jay put his hands up in defence.

"She asked me not to say anything! She was really adamant on that too. After all she'd been through, she didn't feel like celebrating!" he said hurriedly. I rolled my eyes. They all cocked their heads sympathetically.

"Sorry…Willow…I guess you were right to…but we still owe you presents!" Mikey chuckled.

"NO! No presents. I just want to carry on the year like normal. I don't need to back track to my birthday," I scowled.

"Ok, ok!" he apologised. We sat in silence for a moment or two.  
"Who's up for a game of 7 Minutes To Heaven?" Jay finally burst out, lifting the mood. Basically spin the bottle but the two people have to go into a closet for seven minutes together to do whatever they wanted. No interruptions. I sighed.

"Sure," I agreed, and everyone else did too. We scooched into a tighter circle and Mikey ran back in with an empty beer bottle. I watched as it took it's first spin.  
"Ah, it's me!" Ray squeaked, spinning it again. It landed on Bob. They both raised an eyebrow at each other and we all burst out into sniggers. They stood up and entered the closet under the stairs awkwardly. It was a tight squeeze. The door shut and Jay set his watch to seven minutes. We sat giggling, waiting for the seven minutes to finish.

"Bob! Don't touch me there! It's sensitive!" Ray called out from the closet, sending us into peals of laughter. Tears fell from my eyes as I roared along with the others. Finally Frank opened the door and we found Bob plaiting Ray's fro.

"What. The. Fuck?" Frank chuckled, as we all took in the scene. This would NEVER happen again. So we made the most of the moment and let Bob plait the fro completely, and it looked CRAZY. Ray walked out and span around and struck a model pose. Laughter struck again. So we all bundled into the circle again and the bottle span around. It landed on me. I giggled as it span around again. I choked on that giggle when it landed on my closet mate. Guess who?

**GERARD'S POV**

It stopped on me. She stopped smiling. The old Willow wouldn't have cared about us going into a closet together. She would have found it funny. But this new Willow…she looked…scared. Worried. I was so confused. What the fuck had I done to her? We both stood up and climbed into the closet. It was so small in there. We had to stand with our bodies pressed against each other. She shivered. I closed the door. She didn't look at me.  
"What the fuck is wrong?" I whispered, tilting her head so I made her look into my eyes. She blinked and her eyes flitted around the closet, not settling on my eyes.

"Nothing," she replied sadly. I hugged her close.

"You can tell me honey. If it's something I've done, I'm sorry." She looked me in the eyes that time.

"It's nothing you've done," she sighed, sitting down on the box at the back of the cupboard. I sat beside her. She looked as though she was bursting to tell me something. She also looked as though she was about to cry.  
"Babe, just tell me then! Don't you trust me?" I urged, stroking her arm.

"Gee…" she sniffled. "I don't want to ruin your day." Shock ran through me.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Frank and I…We…We…" she bawled, suddenly breaking out into sobs. I threw my arms around her and squeezed. "It's over…" she breathed, and something in her voice told me that realisation had just hit her hard. She shuddered through the tears and I felt my shoulder getting wet from her crying.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. Everything will be ok. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I cooed. She nodded into my shoulder and I stroked her back soothingly. What the fuck had happened between her and Frank? They'd always seemed so happy. This was just…weird. And I was gonna get to the bottom of this. Frank Anthony Iero, I'm gonna hunt you down and grill the living shit outta you. Stay tuned!


	39. Someone Save Us

**FRANK'S POV**

The seven minutes came to an end. The entire time I had been overridden with jealousy and nervousness. What if they got together in there? No. She wouldn't, would she? I sighed put my arms around my knees. Mikey stood up and opened the door. I inhaled sharply. So did the others. Willow's eyes were red and puffy – she had been crying. Gee had his arm around her and was rubbing her shoulder. She sniffled.

"Oh sweetie!" Jay gasped, rushing up to her. "What's wrong?" She shook her head.  
"She just had something's to get off her chest," Gee smiled weakly, and his eyes met mine. I saw a hint of accusation in them and frowned. She had told him. Had she made out it was all _my _fault? She sat down with Gee and he held her close. Anger boiled up inside me. Realisation hit me that Willow and I were really over. How could this be happening?

"I…have to go…" I growled, and bolted out of the door before anyone could argue with me. I fell onto my bed and sobbed into the pillow. I punched my mattress hard and found that gave me no satisfaction. So I punched the wall. "ARGH!" I screamed as my fist made contact with the plaster. The pain seared through my fist and my knuckles were bleeding. But I was numb so the pain wasn't that bad. I flopped back down onto my bed and screeched into the pillow. I heard the door open and shut. I felt a weight on the end of my bed and rolled my eyes beneath the fabric of the pillow.

"What the _actual_ fuck?" Gee said, his voice muffled by the pillow in the way of my face. I ignored him. "Are you ignoring me?" he muffly-growled. I sighed and sat up, throwing the pillow to the floor and avoiding his glare.

"I take it she blamed the whole breaking up thing on me?" I snarled, rubbing my sore knuckles. His eyes widened.

"What? No, she didn't. She only managed to tell me that you two were over. So _was it_ your fault?"  
"No! Well, partly, but it was her fault too! Argh, I'm so fucking pissed off!" I wiped away my tears furiously and fell back onto the bed. Gee sighed.

"What happened?" he asked caringly. He lay down beside me and propped himself up onto his elbow. Shit, seeing his face so un-hidden by hair was something I'd have to grow used to.

"I…can't tell you," I semi-whispered. It was true. It would freak the shit out of him to know that he was the reason for the break-up. He'd get all reclusive again.

"Yes you can! We're best friends! I won't judge you, Frankie!" he pushed, but I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Gee. But this time it's best you don't know." He glared at me. I wasn't going to give in. I stood my ground and glared back. Finally he gave up.

"I guess when you're ready to tell me, you'll tell me," he presumed, but it was unlikely. I felt the tears brim in my eyes. Gee frowned. He put his arm across me and hugged me tight. "It'll be ok," he breathed.  
"No it won't. Dammit, Gee, I love her so fucking much!" I sniffled. He squeezed me tighter.

"I don't understand what went wrong between you." YOU. It was YOU. "This is just confusing the shit outta me."

"Sorry for ruining your day, Gee," I sobbed. His eyes widened.

"Fuck Frank, you didn't ruin my day! People have their problems, I can deal with that. I just don't like seeing two of my best friends so sad." He pulled a woeful face. "I honestly thought you were both happy…"

"We were…"

"Then why the FUCK are we here now? Why aren't we in my house, you with your arm around her, kissing her and whispering how much you obviously fucking love her! WHY THE FUCK?" I winced. He was right. This must have looked so abnormal to him.

"I told you, I can't tell you!" I growled defiantly. He sighed, rolled off of the bed and helped me to my feet.  
"Let's go. Come on," he urged, and I reluctantly followed him back to his house. They were all in the garage playing on the instruments. I followed closely behind Gee and didn't make eye-contact with Willow. She looked slightly happier than earlier and had her head on Jay's shoulder. I sat on an amp and crossed my legs. Mikey came over.

"What happened dude?" he asked kindly, patting my shoulder. I shrugged and he sat beside me. "You sure you're ok?" I shrugged again, staying silent. He raised an eyebrow and frowned sadly. Giving up, he carried on rocking out with the others. I picked up my guitar and strummed a sad little tune. Then I realised how pathetic I was and put my guitar down. I looked up and caught Willow's eye. We stared at each other for a moment. Then she turned away. So was this how it was going to be? Would we just not talk again?

**WILLOW'S POV**

He looked so sad. It was obvious he'd been crying too. All I wanted to do was throw my arms around him and kiss him. But I couldn't. Not anymore. I had torn us apart. And that was unforgivable. I HATED myself so goddam much.

**FRANK'S POV**

I loved her so much. I had gone and broken us apart by fucking kissing Gerard. I HATED myself with a passion.


	40. PartyPoison

**OK, so I guess I thought it was about time for Mikey to get a little attention from me. So here you go… :D And this chapter is dedicated to my very own Mikey. (Jen) ;) **

**MIKEY'S POV**

Frank was seriously down. I didn't need to be told what was up. It was clear that they had broken up. But why? They had always been so happy. When I had tried to talk to him, he'd shrugged me off. What else could I do to comfort him? I sat on the floor, plucking the strings on my bass, when Liss dropped down beside me. She placed her head on my shoulder.

"Why did they end it?" she whispered discreetly into my ear.  
"I don't know," I sighed, my eyes flitting between both Willow and Frank.

"It's so strange."

"I know." She let out a heavy sigh. She suddenly sat up straight.

"Hey, can I have a go on your bass?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. I just want to have a go!" She pulled a pout and I handed it over. She threw the strap over her shoulder and stood up.

"It's really difficult. Here let me help you find C-" I began, but she had already found it. She strummed it well. "That was good, now here's D-" I went to show her where D was, but again, she played it before I even had the chance to move.  
"Hey, how do you know-" I started, but let my mouth carry on being open yet no words came out. She was now playing a song on bass guitar. And she was REALLY good. Like, seriously awesome. She winked at me as she played, and every one stopped to listen. She looked up and saw them all watching. Her face flushed red and she instantly stopped.

"No! Don't stop!" Gee cried, his eyes wide with awe. She blushed deeper and took the bass off.

"Nah, I'm finished now," she smiled, handing the bass back to me. She promptly closed my mouth with her finger.

"Shit, you're awesome!" Ray gasped, and she waved his comment away.

"I'm not _that _good!" she chuckled.  
"Al-Alicia! You never told me you played bass!" I choked. She smiled.  
"I haven't in a while. I took lessons up until last year. I might start up again though…"

"Fuck yeah!" Bob piped up. "Look's like we've got three talented ladies in this room!"

"Three?" Ray asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah," Bob replied. "Willow, Liss and you."

***LATER THAT EVENING***

I could have sworn I had been holding a packet of Skittles a few moments ago. I stared at my empty hands, confused. I glanced around. No one had the Skittles. Frowning, I checked myself again. Nope. No Skittles. I found a stray red one on my leg though and quickly nommed on it. Chewing, I stared around. The beer had gone to my head and the room was swaying slightly. I hiccupped as I stumbled from the sofa to the kitchen. Frank was at the table holding….HOLDING MY SKITTLES.

"Frankiero? Why have you do you have my Skittles?" I sighed, falling into the chair beside him.  
"Ha, sorry Mikey. You were zoned out watching Gee's chicken impression, so I took them," he chuckled. His mood had lifted since earlier. I patted his shoulder.

"Cans I have my Skittles, please?" I mumbled, and he put the Skittle packet back in my hands. I stuffed some into my mouth. "So why did you and Willow break-up?" I blurted out. The part of my brain that was sober physically kicked the part of my brain that was drunk. Frank's face dropped.

"I don't really want to talk about it…" he sighed, glaring into nothingness.  
"Sorry man, it's just all very woooooooo" I gestured dramatically with my arms at the "wooooo" and I saw a tiny smile turn up at the sides of his mouth.

"You're pissed out of your mind, aren't you?" he chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Noooooo," I giggled, pushing his shoulder gently. He put his arm around my shoulders and laughed.

"Michael, you're honestly shitfaced, buddy, you can't deny it." I frowned dramatically and burst into fits of uncontrollable giggles. Frank laughed at me. Then he couldn't stop laughing. We hugged each other as tears of laughter trickled down our faces. Gee came into the room holding a beer in his hand.

"What the fuck?" he chuckled, taking in the scene before him.  
"Mikey's drunk!" Frank laughed. "Look at him!"

"I'm shlain. Shline….Phline…Fine," I growled, and stood up. I swayed and staggered to the door. "I'm going to go and eat my Skittles!" I spat, and ran into the living room.

**FRANK'S POV**

I stared at the packet of Skittles that still sat on the table. Both Gee and I waited. Suddenly Mikey's head appeared at the door again.

"Forgots my Skittles," he whispered loudly, and darted to the table. He snatched up the Skittles and ran from the room again. Gee and I burst out laughing again. He placed his beer bottle down on the table and sat beside me.

"So," he finally said seriously. "We need to talk. And I need a serious answer. I'm worried about you, Iero. What went wrong?" I gulped. He was staring at me.

"Things…came up…" I replied.

"What kinda things?"

"Gee! I don't want to talk about it!" I growled.

"Ok, ok!" he apologised quickly. "I just don't like to see you like this…Broken…" He rubbed my arm.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. He hugged me.

"You've got nothing to apologise to me for, Frankie," he breathed. We broke apart. "Come on, let's join the others." I followed him out of the kitchen into the living room. Bob was playing GameCube with Ray, Liss was asleep in Mikey's lap and Willow was snuggled up to Jay. Her face was still sad. I sighed. I sat beside Ray who gave me a sympathetic smile. So they'd obviously all worked it out. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the sofa. My eyelids drooped. I hadn't realised how tired I had been. The noise of the game gradually faded away and I eventually fell asleep.


	41. We Could Take To The Highway

**FRANK'S POV**

"Look alive, sunshine," came a soft voice from outside my subconscious. Sleepily, I blinked my eyes open. My eyelids were heavy and my vision was blurry, but I saw everyone else was awake. Sunlight was pouring in through the window and I yawned. Gee was squatted beside me and he poked my arm. "Time to hit the road," he grinned. Ah yes. Miami. I stretched my arms and found I was still too tired to get up off my ass. I groaned and fell back onto the floor which I had been sleeping on. Someone had covered me in a blanket whilst I had been sleeping, and I threw it over my face. "I don't think so," chuckled Gee, ripping the blanket from me. I winced at the sunlight again. "If you don't get up now, I'll smack your pretty little face with a wet cloth. Up and at 'em!"

"Ok! I'm up!" I replied, my voice gravelled by sleep. I eventually got to my feet and shuffled to the bathroom. I went to turn the handle but the door opened before I could reach it. Willow bumped into me.

"Oh shit, sorry!" she gasped. Then she registered who I was. "Oh…Frank…hey." She looked about nervously.

"Hey…" I replied, staring at my feet.  
"Erm, I've gotta…yeah…I need to…" she stuttered, trying to get past me. I let her pass and she hurried off. Angrily, I slammed the bathroom door behind me. I went to the sink and splashed my face with cold water. I glared at my reflection in the mirror. Finally, after some self-loathing, I jumped into the shower.

**MIKEY'S POV**

I rubbed my throbbing head.

"Ow," I groaned. I felt like crap. I had drunk way to much last night. Gee dropped down beside me and held out some Paracetamol in his hand. I quickly snatched them up and downed them with a glass of water. "Thanks Gee," I smiled weakly. He patted my back.

"You look like shit, man."

"Always the charmer, Gee."

"Always," he winked, and left me sitting there. I yawned, wincing at my banging headache. I finally managed to stand and wobbled a bit.  
"Eugh," I moaned. I saw my face in the mirror. "I really do look like shit…" I sighed. Ray nodded.

"You sure do."

***30 MINUTES LATER***

**WILLOW'S POV**

I heaved my bag into the back of the minivan with some help from Bob, and threw on my sunglasses. It was a beautiful day. I yawned and stretched as I walked towards Mikey, who hugged me. It was a random friend moment, and we had plenty of them.

"Are you excited?" he smiled, and I could see the plain excitement in _his_ eyes.

"Hell yeah! This is gonna be awesome!"

"Sure is! Ah, I can't wait!" he squealed, jumping on the spot. Liss came out of the door dragging her bag behind her. We both rushed over and helped her get it into the van. She collapsed on a seat inside the van, almost sweating.

"How much do girls NEED to take on holiday? Have you got your entire wardrobe in there?" Mikey tutted, eyeing up both mine and Liss' bulging luggage.

"Yep. Who knows what the weather's going to be like? And also, I can't wear the same outfit everyday, and…" she continued reeling off the reasons, but Mikey seemed to zone out and let it drift in one ear and out the other. I chuckled and joined Ray who was leaning against the bonnet. He smiled when he saw me.

"S'up, Willow?" he asked, smiling. I propped myself up beside him and began playing with his fro. I twirled it in my fingers.

"You're hair's so _pretty," _I sighed. He laughed.

"Thanks! I mean, I do _try,"_ he winked. I withdrew my hand and Bob appeared on the other side of Ray. We sat there, in a pleasant silence, watching the cars driving by at the top of the street.

"Rightey ho! Let's go!" Gee exclaimed from behind us, and I span around to see his excited face beaming at me. I giggled and we all piled into the van. The air was filled with laughter and joy – even Frank looked happy. I smiled at him and he smiled back awkwardly, then he carried on talking to Liss. I squeezed myself down beside Gee, and his parents waved and blew kisses through the window, as did Frank's and Ray's. They all blushed and told them all to "eff off". I was buzzing. It had been eight years since I had been to the beach house. It had been amazing – a large white, modern house that overlooked the large stretch of Miami beach. Music pumped out into the night every night and shook the buildings; parties were being held at every other house along the coastline. But being so young, I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I could be sure I would be this time.

"Hey Bob! Flick on the stereo, would'ya?" Gee moaned, and soon the van was pumping out Queen as we hurtled towards the highway.


	42. Staring Down A Loaded Gun

The van was stifling inside. The seven excited people contained within the van were sweating, and groaning at the heat. It trundled along the busy highway, not going as fast as they wanted it to go.

"Put your foot down harder, Bob!" Gerard yelled.

"If I could go fucking faster, I would! I hate driving snails!" Bob replied, exasperated. Gerard flopped back into his chair and fanned himself with his comic book.

"What time is it?" Frank yawned.

"One-oh-nine in the sky," Gerard reported.

"Say what? What do you mean 'in the sky'?" Frank said, confused.

"The position of the sun! Duh…" Gerard replied, rolling his eyes.

"O-Kaaaaay…" Frank frowned, raising his eyebrow.

"Are we there yet?" Mikey sighed for the umpteenth time that journey, which had only started two hours before.

"Shut the FUCK up!" Ray growled, closing his eyes again.

"We'll stop at the first gas station and cool off for a bit, ok?" Bob said decidedly. The gas station proved to be a further half hour on, but finally they pulled in and rolled out of the van.

"Ew," Willow exclaimed, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The group of melting teenagers shuffled into the station and the cool air from the air con washed over them.

"Ahhhhhh…" they all sighed in relief, finally managing to cool down.

"How can it be so hot in April?" Liss pondered whilst looking at the drinks.  
"No idea! It's never _this _hot around this time of year," Ray replied, grabbing a bottle of Dr. Pepper. They joined the others in the queue line.

"Damn, I left my wallet in the van," Gerard sighed angrily. "Here, hold this Bob. I've got to go and get it." He gave Bob his iced tea and jogged out of the station. And that was when a gunshot rang in the air.

**FRANK'S POV**

"What the fuck was that?" Willow cried as we all ran outside. The scene that met our eyes made us all stop dead in our tracks. My eyes widened. A man was standing in the centre of the parking lot, pointing a gun into the air. Another man was crouched behind a gas pump. I squinted my eyes in the sunlight and finally saw Gee cowering by the van. His eyes were full of fear and he was obviously shaking. The man with the gun staggered slightly. He was drunk.

"Gimme my money!" he yelled in a drunken slur at the man behind the gas pump.  
"I never took your money! I don't even know you!" the crouching man sobbed, his hands holding his head.  
"Liar!" the drunk screamed, firing another shot into the air and making us all jump. We all dropped to the floor. I wanted to cry. What if he hurt someone? And Gee….he was all alone. He met my eye and I saw the tears fall from his face. I held out my hand to him and he held out his hand to me. I couldn't express my fear. The drunk took a spine-chilling step forward. He brought the gun down and pointed it at the man.  
"I want my fucking money, punk!" he shrieked, and locked the gun. I was shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't see anything apart from the gun. I didn't know what everyone else looked like. Suddenly I felt a hand clasp mine. I managed to glance down and find that it was Willow. She was crying and shuddering.

"Frankie…I'm so afraid," she whispered. All I managed was a nod, and I turned back to the scene.

"Please! Please don't kill me! My wife, my babies…Oh I love you…I love you so much…Jennifer…" he weeped. The drunk sneered.  
"They'll be next, fucker. Unless you give me my money!" My stomach lurched when he fired a shot at the ground by the man's leg, narrowly missing him. The man screamed. Gee let out a small shriek and the drunk turned his head towards him.

"You think this is funny, dick?" he spat. I froze. Oh no. Not Gerard. Please. Please no. Gee shook his head vigorously.

"No," he choked almost silently. He scrambled backwards, closer to the back of the van. The man watched him. Please don't shoot him! Please please don't kill my best friend! Relief washed through me when the gun span back to the man on the floor, yet of course I didn't want this stranger to die.

"So,pay up!" the drunk growled menacingly. The man on the ground quivered.

"I don't have ten thousand dollars! Please! You've got the wrong man!" he cried desperately, but this made the gunman get angry. REALLY angry.

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY JUDGEMENT MOTHER FUCKER?" he roared, advancing on the man and towering over him. I held my breath. We all did. We all froze and waited for that shot to blast in the air. I felt sick. Truly sick. The drunk lowered his gun so it pointed at the man's head. Shit. The man whimpered.

"Dear God, spare me!" he sobbed. The drunk bent down.

"Ain't no God to come save your ass now," he smirked and placed the gun at the man's temple. This was it. I was about to witness a murder.

It was then that seven or so police cars zoomed into the lot. They screeched to a halt and police piled out, aiming their guns at the drunk.

"YOU ARE SURROUNDED, DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR THEY WILL BE TAKEN BY FORCE!" they yelled angrily. The drunk stopped and smirked. He dropped the gun at his feet and stood up.

"Fucking police," he murmured. They rushed forward and cuffed him. Other officers ran to the aid of the man on the floor. We all looked at each other. All our faces were deathly white and stained with tears of fear. Our eyes were wide and our mouths were unable to produce words. I span around and saw Gee, his hands covering his face, sitting on the floor by the van. I ran as fast as I could and dropped down beside him. He glanced up at me. His face was wet with tears. He looked…so afraid. I threw my shaking arms around him and held him close. He sobbed uncontrollably into my shoulder and I let the tears of shock stream down my face again. I could have lost him. I could have lost my best friend in the entire world. Thank God he was still here. I would never be able to live without him.


	43. The Awful Things That I've Seen

**A/N : Sorry this one is so short, guys. But the next one SHOULD be quite long, although I could be lying. I haven't actually written it yet. Anyway, I'll be quiet now and let you read…**

**MIKEY'S POV**

The next hour went by in a haze. The police asked us questions and tried to calm us down. We were all hyper ventilating and sweating like pigs. The gas station guy – although he too was shaken up – gave us all free drinks and food. I couldn't even taste anything that I ate. My mouth was so dry. Gerard coughed and I glanced at him. I had my arm around his shoulder and his face was blank. He was really traumatised.

"You ok, Gee?" I asked quietly. He just shook his head and sniffed. I put my head against his. "It'll be ok, bro."

"Ok kids. You're free to go. Are you all ok?" a police woman asked. We all nodded gingerly. The police left us and joined their fellow cops with the guy who had been threatened by the gun man.

"I guess…we should carry on our journey then…" Bob sighed sadly. We all shuffled monotonously over to the van and climbed in. The gas station guy ran over and gave us loads more drinks and food as we shut the door.

"Thanks," we mumbled in unison. The rest of the journey to the motel was in near-silence. None of us felt like talking. So we went another six hours hardly saying a word. We each did our own thing which was either reading a book, reading a comic, listening to music etc. We finally pulled into the motel and got out of the van. We all checked in and found our rooms. I was sharing a room with Bob. We grabbed our key and said goodnight to the others. Apparently we had to get to sleep early, as we would be waking up early so we could make it to Jay's house by nightfall tomorrow. I yawned and collapsed onto my squeaky bed. Bob did the same. We both stared up at the dirty ceiling for a while in silence.

"That was some crazy shit today," Bob said, breaking the ice.

"It sure was. Gee's really messed up about it too…" I sighed.

"I saw that. He's totally zoned out all the time. He didn't say a word the entire rest of the journey."

"I'm worried that this has affected him in the long run. What if it haunts him forever?"

"Gerard Way is a big boy. He's strong minded so I'm sure he'll find a way to cope." I rolled on my side and smiled at Bob.

"I hope you're right," I replied.

**GERARD'S POV**

I shut my eyes. But the scene played out behind my eyelids again. The fear came rushing back. I gasped and my eyes shot open. Frank dropped down beside my bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry plastered across his face.

"Not particularly. But hey, it could have been worse. I mean, someone could have died…" I answered gruffly, reminiscing once again the horrible scene that had occurred earlier that day.

"But _no one_ died. That's the main thing. We're all here, together, safe and sound," he reminded me, rubbing my arm. I smiled weakly at him.

"You're right. But still, it was so…so…scary…" I choked out the last word, hoping that I wouldn't sound _too _much like a complete and utter sissy.

"It was _really _scary. I was so afraid he'd kill you when he turned on you," he whispered. "If he had turned that gun on you I would have ran at him and killed him with my bare hands. I'll never let them hurt you, I promise." He looked at me, truth and caring glazing his eyes.  
"Wow, thanks Frankie," I grinned soppily.

**MIKEY'S POV**

Bob was snoring softly. I couldn't sleep. Not because of being in the middle of a gun fight earlier, but because the bed was so goddamn uncomfortable. I kept tossing and turning. I eventually lay on top of my covers and stared into pitch black nothingness. I checked my watch. 1am. Great. We'd be up in four hours. I sighed loudly. Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. I crept over and opened it. Liss stood before me, shaking. Her face was covered in sadness.

"Liss? What's wrong honey?" I gasped, pulling her into my arms and hugging her tightly.

"I had a nightmare," she sniffled into my shoulder.

"Ohhh sweetheart! What was it about?"

"Guns…Gerard…he got shot…" she sobbed. I rubbed her back.

"Aw, it's ok, he's fine. Come on." She crawled into my small single bed and we lay down, pressed together. She snuggled up into my chest and soon was fast asleep. And with her in my arms, I was soon off in dreamland too.

**A/N : You know, if you don't review, Mikey dies just a little bit inside each time. How can you do that to him? How could you look at yourself knowing what you're doing to him? Be the better person. You'll feel great afterwards. ;)**


	44. Just Sleep

**GERARD'S POV**

***BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*** "Shut the _FUCK_ up" I growled. ***BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEP*** "ARGH!" I yelled, nearly smashing the alarm on my phone. Frank groaned.

"Do we _have_ to get up?" he sighed sleepily.

"I've never been awake this early. I didn't even know that this time of the morning existed until now," I yawned, trying to make my eyes open. It was five FUCKING am. I could hear Bob and Mikey shuffling about in the room next to ours. "They're all awake. C'mon. Up and at 'em, I guess…" I said grudgingly, and hurled myself out of bed. Frank grunted and pulled the covers over his head when I switched on the light. I ripped the covers off of him and he squeaked, curling up into a ball. "For fuck's sake Frank. GET UP!" I shouted, and he slid out of bed and gave me evils. I shot him a look back and grabbed my clothes. "I need coffee," I stated, registering the urge that kicked in every morning. But this time the desire for caffeine was much higher.  
"So do I. But I don't see a kettle in here, and this place's kitchen is complete shit," Frank warned. "I wouldn't use it if I were you…" I rolled my eyes.

"But I NEED coffee!" I whimpered.

"Tough shit, Gee. You're gonna have to wait until we reach a truck stop." I kicked my bag angrily. There was a knock at the door.

"You guys ready?" Bob called through it.

"Yeah…" we mumbled back in unison.

"Good. Meet us all down by the van in ten minutes, ok?"

"Yeah…" we mumbled again.

***10 MINUTES LATER***

We shuffled to the van as fast as we could. Which was extremely slowly. Tiredness was kicking hard, and I could barely open my eyes. It seemed as though the rest of the group were dying too. We all wore the same expression. Plus, it was still dark and completely FREEZING. And I had forgotten to bring a jacket.  
"It's frickin' freezing," Mikey exclaimed, his arms wrapped around a shivering Al.

"Really?" Ray said sarcastically, rubbing his arms in an attempt to keep warm.

"Right. In the van," Bob interjected decidedly, and we gratifyingly jumped inside.

"Throw on the heating, Bobert!" Willow begged, and he immediately flicked on the switch. Soon, we were off on the road again. The heater took time to warm up the van completely, but soon it was comfortable enough to stop shivering. My eyelids were heavy still and I just needed more sleep…Just a little more sleep…

…

"Gerard…"

"…Gerard…" Hmm?

"Geeeee…" A voice was drifting into my subconscious. I could barely hear them though.

"GERARD! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" Now THAT I heard. I grunted awake. I blinked sleepily and light poured into my eyes making them hurt.

"Ow," I groaned, blocking the light with my hand.

"Jeez. Finally. We're at a truck stop. You want a coffee?" Willow asked, chuckling.  
"Wha? Oh…yeah…thanks…" I murmured. She slid the door to the van shut and my eyelids drooped.

…

"GERARD!" she yelled. I jumped and my eyes shot open.

"AH! Oh, Willow! Shit, you scared me!" I gasped.

"You fell asleep again! Here, your coffee!" She held out a Starbuck's cup and I hungrily wrapped my hands around it. The heat from the cup felt good against my skin.

"Thanks Willow," I smiled. I sipped at the coffee. "Ahhhhhh," I breathed, grinning. It tasted amazing. I finally opened my eyes enough to take in my surroundings. In the van, Frank was curled up in the chair behind me, blinking at the ceiling. Mikey was asleep on Liss who was stroking his hair and glancing out of the window. Ray was laughing softly with Bob in the front seats. Jared was sitting on the chair in front of me flicking through my Watchmen comic.

"They should really make a film out of this," he sighed, leafing through the pages. "I bet it would be awesome."

"I've always thought that. How cool would it be to do a Watchmen-related music video? I'd envy any band that ever got to do that," I said, thinking what it would be like if _we _did a music video for the Watchmen. I'd want it punky and loud. Maybe a cover of a song, rather than a new one.

"We good to go?" Bob asked, bringing me out of my daydream. So we set off yet again. And with coffee in hand, I was much more awake. Which still sucked. Now time would pass EVEN SLOWER. It was still only 7am. I yawned and stretched.

***FIVE ****FUCKING**** HOURS LATER.***

"This is actually taking the fucking piss," I growled, bored out of my fucking mind. It was twelve noon and .starving.

"Well I'm _SO_ sorry, but I can't make restaurants appear from NO WHERE!" Bob snarled.

"We're all HUNGRY!" Frank groaned angrily.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! ALL OF YOU!" Bob roared, and we all suddenly recoiled and snapped our mouths shut. Angry Bob was **SCARY** Bob.  
"Sorry Bob…" we all mumbled, frightened of the livid expression that was glaring at us in the reflection of the mirror above his head.

"Look! Food!" Willow squealed, pointing ahead. A small highway-side restaurant loomed into view. It was quirky – a white cabin with a red roof. We pulled in, and like ravenous wolves we dived through the doors. A nearby waitress jumped as the door flew open.

"A table for eight please?" Bob breathed. The waitress raised an eyebrow.  
"Ok, let me just get that ready for you. Wait a few minutes." And she darted off. The other people in the restaurant kept glancing at us. FINALLY the waitress ushered us over to a long table and we were introduced to menu's. My tongue was hanging out as I read through the options. Mmmm…a fry up….Mmmmm… I smacked my lips.

"Everything has meat with it…" moaned Frank. I kicked him.


	45. Cos I See You Lying Next To Me

They drove away from the restaurant happy, smiling and full. The horrors of the day before had been slightly covered over by a good warm meal. Miami seemed a long way away, but surrounded by friends and contended stomachs, the ride didn't prove to be that bad. The hours flew by, and truck stops proved to be a god send when stomach's finally began to rumble. At long last, as the sky began to darken, a sign loomed into view. **'MIAMI'**.

**GERARD'S POV**

"Wooooo!" I yelled, punching the air. This journey had been fucking LONG. To see the Miami sign was such a relief. We all excitedly looked out of the window, taking in the palm trees and the large white buildings. Well, we all were except Frankie, who was fast asleep with is face pressed up against the window. I pressed my nose and hands against the glass and watched the world zoom by. The city was alive at night, with people everywhere and lights made from neon blared out and blinded nearly every store front. My eyes were wide – everything was so different to life back at home. All of us were too captivated to speak. Jay was directing Bob down the roads and finally the amount of neon dimmed down slightly.

"Look!" Mikey squealed excitedly. "The sea!" We all followed his gaze. There it was, like a jet black mirror reflecting the moon and the stars. Suddenly, my attention was caught by the H.U.G.E houses lining the beach. They were like mansions. I was literally salivating. The lucky bastards who got to live in them.

"It's just there," Jay finally said, pointing. I swear all our jaws dropped. He was gesturing at a massive white, lit-up, palm-treed gardened, fountained MANSION.

"HOLY SHIT DUDE!" Mikey, Liss, Bob, Ray and I cried. Jay blushed. I couldn't speak. We were going to be staying in THAT for five days. WOAH. We pulled up and I clambered out of the van along with the others. We gawped up at the grand building that stood before us.  
"Jay…you're fucking loaded dude…" Ray breathed. Jay blushed harder but resumed fumbling for keys in his bag.  
"You wanna take a look inside before we get the bags?" he asked.

"Fuck yeah!" Mikey whooped, and we all walked down the long pathway, gazing about us at everything. We were about to reach the double doors when I stopped.  
"Uh, I think we forgot something…" I sighed, and sprinted back to the van. I slid open the door and there he was, just as we'd left him. Face pressed up against the window and softly snoring, he was a sleeping angel. I sat down beside him and gently shook his arm.

"Frankieeee," I called quietly, coaxing him awake. I had to repeat myself a few times but finally he stirred. His eyelids opened slowly and he yawned.

"Hmm? Wha-? Where are we?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Dude, we're _here,"_ I grinned, and his eyes shot open and he sat up. His gaze fell upon the huge house.

"Holy mother of fuck."

"Yup."

"That's Jay's?"

"Yup."

"Woah."

"That's what I said."

"Well let's GO!" he squeaked, darting out of the van. I quickly followed him and we both walked up the path, mouths hanging open. Suddenly Mikey poked his head out of the front door.

"GUYS. YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS."

**FRANK'S POV**

We dashed in and screeched to a halt. OH MY GOD. A lavish, open room stretched out in front of us, furnished with everything – antique chairs, rugs, kick-ass hi-fi system, flat screen tv – everything. The room was airy, light and modern. It was immense. A large, twirling staircase stood to my right, and on the other side of the room were an array of doors that opened out onto a lit-up area outside. We were all speechless. Jay blushed again.

"So are you guys gonna look around or what?" he chuckled shyly. We only nodded a response. I walked straight to the double doors in front of me and turned the lock. Throwing them open, I gasped. A massive pool rippled before me, and a Jacuzzi was attached to it. I was in shock. A POOL HOUSE. THERE WAS A POOL HOUSE. My jaw dropped further. And there, beyond the pool and the pool house stood…the ocean. In the black of night, only the moon lit it up. I felt an arm slide around my shoulder. I turned and saw Gee smiling at me.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" he breathed as we both looked out to the sea. The others soon joined us and we all put our arms around each other.  
"This holiday is going to be incredible, isn't it?" Mikey mused happily.

"It sure will," I replied. The others nodded and grinned. The warmth of the Miami night enveloped us and we couldn't help but let the horrors from yesterday leave our minds.

**GERARD'S POV**

"This place looks even better in the daytime, from what I remember," Willow piped up cheerily.

"Let's go inside and grab the bags. Then we'll crash," Jay suggested. Willingly agreeing, we collected our luggage and chose our rooms. Luckily, and coincidently, there were the right amount of rooms two each. Four bedrooms. BUT the only problem was… only two had two single beds in. The two others had double beds…

"Oh," Ray said abruptly upon realising the problem.

"Well, I guess Liss and I will take one of the double bed rooms. It'll be like a sleepover!" Willow squeaked, grabbing a giggling Liss' hand and pulling her and their luggage into a room.

"Ok. So that leaves three more-"

"One more actually," Mikey announced, cutting me off. I realised that he and Jay were standing in one room, and Ray and Bob were standing by another. That meant that all that was left was…

"The other double bed. That's yours and Frank's," Bob stated, stifling giggles. Suddenly he couldn't hold it in and the others joined him in an outburst of roaring laughter. I frowned.

"I don't care. He's my best friend. I don't have a problem." They kept laughing.

"Come on Gee…Let's leave them to it…" Frank sighed, rolling his eyes. We slammed the door shut and threw our bags into a corner.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Frank said gleefully, unpacking his pyjamas which consisted of sweat pants…and that was it. I yanked my shorts and Batman tee-shirt out of my case and went into the bathroom to change. When I came out Frank was sitting in bed, reading a book entitled 'The Catcher In The Rye'.

"Good book?" I asked, climbing into bed beside him and flipping open my comic.

"Yeah it is actually. It's for English. I have to read it by the start of term. I thought it was going to be really crap, to be honest. But turns out it's pretty interesting. And look at this…" He held the book under my nose and pointed at some words.

"Pencey Prep?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's the school in the book. I was thinking that it sounded like an awesome band name. You know, it has a ring to it."

"That's wicked!" I gasped.

"I know right!" he beamed, and put his nose back in his book. I propped myself up with a pillow and opened my comic. It took me a few moments to realise how extremely funny our situation was. We were like a couple. A really old married couple, with our books and our bed. I chuckled.

"What?" Frank asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh nothing…honey…"

"Say what?" he gasped.  
"So will you make the coffee in the morning, sweetheart? No one makes a coffee as good as you. You've always been the best." His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide and confused.

"…Sorry?"

"Don't worry darling," I sighed, turning back to my comic and trying hard not to laugh out loud.

"…Gerard…?"

"Yes?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you, don't worry. Now, I'm going to sleep, because I'm tired and tomorrow will be awesome." I switched off my bedside light and snuggled down with my back to Frank. I closed my eyes. After a few minutes, he began to laugh.

"Ahhhh.." he said softly to himself, realisation in his tone. He leant over a planted a kiss on my cheek. "Sleep tight my love," he whispered into my ear. I finally burst out laughing and so did he. We kept cackling until there were thumps on the walls to our right and left.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" came an angry muffled voice from the right.

"WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!" came another enraged one from our left.

"SORRY!" we apologised in unison, and a still giggling Frankie switched off the light.


	46. Give 'Em Hell, Kid

***FIVE HOURS LATER***

"Stop fucking fidgeting!" Gerard groaned loudly. He was so fed up with the constant thrashing and moving that he lashed out with his foot and kicked Frank hard in the shin. Frank gasped out in pain as he was jolted awake.

"Shit! What the hell did you do _that _for?" he snapped, rubbing his now throbbing leg.

"Are you incapable of being still? And stop stealing all of the goddamn covers!" Gerard yanked at the covers to pull them back over himself, but unfortunately Frank had been wrapped up in them. He was sent caterwauling to the floor and he landed with a loud thud. He cursed angrily. "Serves you right," huffed Gerard. Frank rubbed his painful ass and growled. He had been suddenly awoken from a really good dream, kicked and thrown to the floor.

"Fucking unfair…" he said under his breath. So, to try and balance out this 'unfairness', he picked up his glass of water from the sideboard. Due to the darkness, Gerard didn't see as Frank held the glass over his face. But he certainly felt it when the cod water crashed onto him. He yelped and gasped. His face and hair were sopping wet, and his eyes were wide with shock. Enraged, he flicked on the bedside lamp in time to see a triumphant and smug Frank placing an empty glass back on the table.

"You little SHIT!" Gerard screeched. He lunged at Frank. The two teenage boys fell to the floor attacking each other. Luckily, Willow had been woken by the sound of the brawl and opened their bedroom door just in time to see Gerard's raised fist in the air over Frank's face. She bolted forward and tackled a seething (and for some reason dripping) Gerard off of Frank, who breathed out a sigh of relief.

**WILLOW'S POV**

"Gerard Way! What the fuck are you _doing_?" I demanded. As the words left my lips, I realised something. I was…straddling him. He was laying on his back and I was…on him…

"Stupid prick threw water on my face," he growled.

"What?" I turned my head and looked at Frank. "Why?"

"He kicked me. And shoved me off of the bed. For no reason!" Frank spat, moving himself into sitting position.

"You don't stop fucking fidgeting!" Gee snarled. Then he suddenly froze. A look of realisation hit his face. He slowly turned his head and looked into my eyes, then his gaze travelled down my body. No wonder. I was in a skimpy, sexy black night dress which hugged every single one of my curves. _Especially _my breasts. Gee had seemingly noticed this already, since he was staring at them now. I blushed immensely. I got off of him and sat on the bed. Frank was staring at me too. I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"Are you two quite finished?" I sighed, rolling my eyes. They snapped out of their "trance" and both turned red.

"Sorry…" Gee mumbled, looking away. Frank coughed shyly.

"Now get into bed. BOTH OF YOU," I ordered angrily. I was tired. Their eyes widened at my sudden rage and they stood up. Gee glared at Frank. Frank glared at Gee. "For fuck's sake just STOP!" They jumped and scrambled hurriedly into bed. "Good. Now if I hear one more PEEP outta you…" I imitated a beheading and they gulped. Gee switched the light off and ploughed us all into darkness. "Good night," I cooed sweetly.

"Night," they grunted as I closed the door. I held my ear up to it.

"Goodnight asshole," Frank grumbled emotionlessly.

Piss off fucktard," snarled Gee.

***THE FOLLOWING MORNING…***

**GERARD'S POV**

I blinked my eyes open sleepily and found that I was lying on my back as all I could see was white ceiling. Sunlight was glaring through the curtains, illuminating everything. I could hear the seagulls outside – today was gonna be an amazing day. But gradually, the more I woke up and things were registering, the more I realised there was a heavy weight on my chest. I looked down to find Frank asleep in my arms, half-curled up on my chest. What the fuck? How had he ended up there? He looked so peaceful. So I prodded him. Hard. He jerked awake and yawned. His eyes were still closed. I prodded him again. His eyes opened and he blinked up at me. Then he frowned. Then he stared at me. I stared at him. Then as he obviously realised his sleeping position, his eyes snapped open wide and he sat up instantly.

"Err…" he said shakily.

"Exactly."

"What the HELL happened?"

"Make-up sex, darling." He gasped and scrambled away.

"…Excuse me?" he stuttered.

"Frank. Seriously? I was kidding. Why would I want to fuck you?" I groaned and heaved myself out of bed. He sighed. Then his eyes narrowed.

"You. You _kicked _me last night. And you pushed me out of bed. What the fuck is up with that?" he recollected angrily.

"You can't keep still and threw water at my face!" I growled back.

"How _dare _you?" he spat.

"How dare YOU?" I retorted, enraged. We glared a each other. The door opened.

"You're not _still _at it, are you?" Willow sighed. I grumbled, shuffled angrily across the room and slammed the bathroom door hard.


	47. Kill All Your Friends

**This is a LONG chapter for me. I used to write really long chapters when I first started writing this story. Maybe I'll get back into the swing of doing that. ANYHOO. Here you go! Enjoy! :D **

***1 HOUR LATER***

**FRANK'S POV**

"Who wants toast?" Jay called from the kitchen where he and Ray were preparing a fry-up. I grunted a "yes" back. I was still pissed off at Gerard. He had put me in a really shitty mood.

"Will you at least _smile_?" Mikey asked, poking my shoulder.

"No."

"Fine. Be a grumpy shit."

"Fine. I will." Mikey sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Breakfast is ready!" Jay announced from the doorway. We trundled in, yawning and stretching. I sat down and looked at the delicious plate of food before me. No meat meant more of everything else. I smacked my lips. Yum.

"Can I have the salt?" Gerard asked the group of us at the table. I glanced up and saw that the salt was sitting just in front of me. I ignored it and carried on eating. "Pass the salt." Pssh. Not even a 'please'. "Gimme the salt, dammit!" he groaned. I picked it up and his eyes lit up. I sprinkled some over my food, and then placed it back down. He growled.

"Oh for FUCK'S sake! You two are like an old couple arguing! Here," Bob picked up the salt and literally threw it at Gerard. "Take the fucking salt!" What Bob had said about being like an old couple brought back memories from the conversation I'd had with Gerard the night before. I couldn't help it when I let out a snort of laughter. Gerard giggled too. Soon we were roaring with laughter. Whilst the rest of the table watched us in a confused silence, I wiped away my tears and got up. So did Gee. We met and hugged.

"I'm sorry Frankie," he chuckled.

"Me too," I sniggered.

***1 HOUR 30 MINUTES LATER***

**MIKEY'S POV**

It was nice to see them friends again. It was very rarely that they fought, and when they did, I hated it.

I was sitting at the poolside with my bare – and far too pale – legs dangling in the cool water. It was unbelievably hot. Gee was settled on a sun lounger with a book, his bare chest a sight that we were all a bit shocked to see. He hardly EVER flashed that much skin. Liss and Willow were sunbathing, Frank and Ray were bombing into the pool – which was an infinity pool, by the way. Which Is frickin' awesome. It's like the pool never ends. Just stretches out and joins the sea. Bob was in the Jacuzzi. I leant back and shut my eyes, letting the hot sun warm my skin, desperate to walk away with some sort of tan at the end of the holiday. I listened out and heard the seagulls flying over head, the beach in the distance and the constant huge splashes from Ray and Frank's bombing. It was all so peaceful. But not for long. Someone pushed me hard from behind and I flew, headfirst, into the pool. As I entered into I took in a huge lungful of water and came up spluttering and shocked. I cursed under my breath and looked up. Liss was standing by the edge, holding her stomach and laughing along with all the others. I glared at her.

"YOU." She stopped laughing as much. Small giggles escaped my lips. I pretended not to see Gee as he ran at her, full pelt. She had no idea until he sent her flying into the pool too. She screamed as she soared through the air. She landed with a huge splash. I gave Gee the thumbs up. She emerged, and glared at Gerard so evilly that he stopped laughing. Then she flipped him the finger.

"Mother fucker got my hair wet!" she spat. We all began laughing again.

"YOU!" she growled. I looked at her. She was staring at me. I stopped laughing. "YOU saw him coming! You could've warned me!" I shrugged.

"Sorry babe. But if you can't take what you deal out…" She huffed and disappeared beneath the surface. Next thing I knew she was sitting with Bob in the Jacuzzi, who suddenly looked thrilled at the bikinied girlfriend of mine who had joined him. I rolled my eyes and swam after them.

**JARED'S POV**

I was glad that they were enjoying themselves. I certainly was. I was a bit embarrassed at the fact that my house was so monumentally huge though. I didn't want them to feel as though I was saying "hey! Look how rich _I _am!" But even if any of them were thinking it, none of them showed it. I put the drinks I'd just made onto and tray and carefully carried them outside.

"Come and get it!" I called and they ran over, tongues hanging out with thirst. Gee peered down at the colourful concoctions.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Tequila Sunrise. Orange juice, grenadine and tequila, obviously," I replied, taking a swig from mine.

"Mmm," he said, taking a sip. "I like that. The alcohol… It's _good_." He smacked his lips.

"I think we should head out to the beach for lunch? A picnic? Who's game?" I asked, smiling. They all whooped a "YEAH!"

***3 HOURS LATER***

**GERARD'S POV**

I lay spread eagled on the warm sand. I felt so good against my bare back. So good, in fact, that my eyelids began to grow heavier and heavier. With the sounds of the sea and the hot sun beating down from above, I fell asleep…

***SOME TIME LATER***

Strange. My dream, that is. Someone doing something to my legs. Ooh! Someone's patting my on my…ya know…! I like this dream. Wait. _IS _it a dream?

I snapped my eyes open when I realised the touching wasn't a part of the dream. I went to sit up and failed. I felt like someone was sitting on my legs. Willow and Ray were leaning over my lower body.

…?

"Who the FUCK is touching me?" I yelled. They laughed insanely.

"That was Frank. We dared him to be the one to pat…that bit down…" Willow snorted.

"But what are you _doing_?" I asked. I was so confused. My legs felt really heavy, weird and overly warm. I tried to prop myself up on my elbows. I glanced down. My legs were covered in sand.

THEY'D TURNED ME INTO A FUCKING MERMAID.

"Holy shit!" I proclaimed, desperately trying to escape. But that sand was heavy. "Lemme go!" They giggled. All of the others strolled over, pointing and chuckling. "Oh yeah. Laugh. But I bet you wouldn't be laughing if this was you!" I snapped at them all. Liss produced a camera and clicked away. "Oh no! I don't need to be reminded of this on film! Go away!" I pleaded. I looked at my baby brother hopefully. "Michael Way! Do NOT just stand there! Help me!" I flailed about like a beached whale until I finally felt the sand give way at my feet. My toes breathed in the fresh air.

"NOooo!" Willow shrieked, piling sand back on. "This took us forever!"

"Don't you fucking dare bury me again!" I snarled. With my feet free, I broke loose of my mermaid tail and glared at Willow and Ray. Their eyes widened.

"Aw shit…" they said in unison, fright in their tone.

"Have you heard the news that you're DEAD?" I roared, scrambling to my feet. They screamed and fled. I belted after them, hurling death threats and abuse. My soon I was laughing along with them. I herded them into the sea and finally clamped my arms around Willow when I eventually caught her. She squealed and squirmed, causing us to fall into the water. Which wasn't very warm.

"Shit. That's cold!" she yelped, springing up almost instantly.

"Sure is!" I shivered, and sent a massive splash right over her. She screeched.

"Fucker!" And so, the waterfight to remember began. Everyone joined in, attacking each other, pulling each other into the water, splashing and screaming. By the end of the afternoon, we shuffled back up to the house, dripping, laughing and full of high spirits. Jay flicked on the massive hi-fi system and a almost deafening dance beat thudded out. It shook me and I stood there.

"Everyone…" he grinned, a hint of knowing and mystery in his eyes, "…it's time…" He walked over to the front doors and threw them open. A gigantic, screaming crowd of swimsuited people ran in carrying towels, alcohol and food.

"…TO PARTY!"


	48. Just Let Them Party With Me

**FRANK'S POV**

"Woooo!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. Girls in skimpy bikinis dashed past me and I found myself drooling after them. Gerard, Mikey, Ray and Bob all wore the same expressions as I did. Jay did too, but he was busy checking out all the guys asses instead. I smiled and span around, taking in the room. People were dancing and chatting and drinking. There was hardly any space to breathe! As I stood there watching the crowd, my gaze settled upon a girl swaying to the beat. She had a towel wrapped around her, unlike all of the other girls who danced about in barely anything. I wondered why. What was she so afraid to show? She was beautiful. Her eyes…they were so alive. And full of fun. She looked up and caught me staring. We stared at each other for about a second before she blushed and smiled. I nearly melted. Her smile was gorgeous. My stomach fluttered. For some reason, part of me seemed to know that this girl was special. "Don't let that one go," muttered my sub conscious. I smiled back goofily. She quickly looked away, her face red yet the smile still on her lips. Then I made a fatal mistake. I blinked.

And she was gone.

Annoyed at myself, I made my way into the kitchen and cracked open a beer. Ray sidled up beside me and grabbed one too.

"Wicked party, huh?" he mused, taking a swig.

"Hell yeah!" I replied, grinning. Suddenly two girls ran up and took Ray's hands.

"Come with us, sugar," they squealed, winking. They began dragging him away. I say dragged. He wasn't objecting. He turned his face to look at me and shrugged, smiling widely.

"Go get 'em, tiger!" I called after him, laughing.

***2 HOURS AND FAR TOO MUCH ALCOHOL LATER***

The room swayed around me. I was soaking from having just got out of the pool and leaving a trail of water in my wake. Night had nearly fallen. As I went to grab yet another beer from the kitchen side, a girl ran her hand over my chest. I shivered and smiled. This was not the first occurrence of it's kind that evening. Drunk girls pounced on me from every angle. What can I say? I hiccupped and grinned, enjoying the attention. She put her hand behind me neck and pulled my lips down to hers, going straight in for good ol' fashioned tonsil-tennis. I obliged keenly, and span around so I pressed her against the kitchen side. She rubbed her foot and leg down my own leg. We kissed passionately for the next five minutes until she giggled, ducked under my arm and went off to find the next horny guy. I wiped my mouth on my arm and took a swig of beer. I frowned. The entire time I'd been kissing that girl I'd pretended she was Towel-Girl. I'd been thinking of her all evening. I walked into the living room. I hadn't seen her since I'd blinked her away. That was when I saw her. Towel still wrapped tightly around her body, she was on the opposite side of the room to me, beer in hand. Right. That's it. Man-up, Iero. Make the first move. I took one step when a guy beat me to her. He strolled over like a cocky prick and wrapped his arm around her. She blushed but look very uncomfortable. Her eyes looked to mine. She wanted _me. _I felt triumphant. I was the one she wanted. But as she went to wriggle from his grip, he ripped her towel off of her. She gasped and went to cover herself. She was in a red and white polka dot bikini and looked…amazing. So curvy and attractive. Why had she been hiding herself? He pushed her roughly into the centre of the dance-floor.

"What you got to hide, fatty?" he sneered cruelly. Tears filled her eyes and she looked on the brink of crying. Desperatley trying to cover herself up and get away, he forced her to dance. She wasn't fucking fat. True, she wasn't skinny. But since when is just skinny beautiful? How DARE he. It isn't about what size you are. Couldn't he see the laughter in her eyes? The kindness in her smile? She had a stunning smile. I growled. Rage boiled up inside me. It blinded me. I stormed over and with as much power as my short body could muster I slammed my fist hard into his stomach. He weezed and yelped at the same time, and doubled over, winded. The dancing stopped and people turned to look. I smiled down evilly and smugly at his petrified little face.

"Son of a bitch. Touch her again and I'll take you outside, mother fucker!" I spat. I scooped up her towel and wrapped it around her shaking body. I put my arm around her shoulder and walked her outside. Once clear of the building she properly broke down into tears. I hugged her close and stroked her hair. Her tears trickled down my bare chest. She sniffled and looked into my eyes.

"Thank you," she choked through her tears. Her big beautiful eyes were shining. I wiped a falling tear away with my thumb as my hands cupped her face. "That was so degrading. I'm so ugly!" I frowned.

"What? Ugly?" I nearly gasped. "You…you think you're ugly?" She nodded solemnly. "You are anything but ugly, honey. You're…you're beautiful. Don't ever, ever doubt yourself. Don't let some piece of shit make you think that you aren't worth anything. He obviously can't see what I see. He called you fat. You're not fat at all. Ok, you're not skinny-" she sniffled and fat, salty tears dripped down her face again. Hurriedly, I continued: "-but you're not fat. Curvy girls are hot. Trust me. I don't care what size you are. You're absolutely gorgeous to me." I'd just poured out my heart to some girl I didn't know. But I meant every word. She blinked at me.

"Did you…did you mean all that? All that what you just said?" She had stopped crying. Her eyes were shining, no longer with tears but with complete and utter joy.

"Every word," I smiled.

"I…I don't know what to say…that was…so…No one has ever said anything like that to me before…" She hugged me tightly. I hugged her back.

"Then obviously no one's ever looked at you properly. They must be blind." She pulled away.

"Who _are _you?" she asked, blushing.

"Frank Iero, at your service," I bowed. She giggled. "And you are?" I took her hand and kissed it gently.

"Jamia," she smiled widely. "My name's Jamia."

**GERARD'S POV**

I hiccupped. I'd drunk so much that I'd forgotten how many bottles had passed my mouth. A girl was on my lap, kissing my neck. I sighed and leant my head back, closing my eyes. So many girls had come at me tonight. I was loving it. Suddenly the weight disappeared off of my legs. I snapped my eyes open to see Willow, hands on her hips, frowning and drunk.

"Not _really _the behaviour I'd expect from you, Gerard Way," she sighed, prodding my shoulder hard.

"So what behaviour _do _you expect, Willow Rush?" I retorted, angry that my hot girl was gone.

"I wouldn't have though you were the kind of guy to use drunk girls." SAY WHAT NOW?

"Scuse me? _USE _them? Girls are coming at _me_! I just sit there and take it! Any guy would!" I snarled. Why was she accusing me? Where had this come from. Then it hit me. I saw it in her eyes. "Are you…are you _jealous_?" I asked, slightly shocked. She froze for an instant and for a split second looked like she'd been outed. Then her face quickly contorted back to angry. But I'd seen it. She knew I had.

"No!" she growled. But I'd already begun to put the pieces together. The looks she'd been giving me over the past few weeks. The blushes. She turned to walk away. I stood up and took here hand. She tried to yank it away. "Wait," I almost whispered. I felt warm inside. All…tingly. She blinked at me and blushed. Damn, that blush.

"Gee…" she managed, but I took her chin gently, leant down and placed my lips softly onto hers. We immediately melted together. A passionate fire shot through me. Finally. FINALLY. I was kissing her. The girl I'd loved since I'd first laid eyes on her. When she'd walked into that English class and handed over the note. When she'd glanced at me with her big blue eyes and captivated me forever. This felt so right. She sighed into the kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She ran her hands through my hair and sent jolts of electricity rushing through me.

"Come on!" she laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. We ran onto the beach where there was a fire blazing. A few people were there but they quickly scarpered when they heard our laughter.

**WILLOW'S POV**

He wrapped his arms around me and span me around and around. I laughed so hard tears fell from my eyes. They streamed down my face. We danced crazily and ran about chasing each other. We sang loudly and out of tune together. We were drunk. And were happy. We span about until we fell giggling into a heap on the sand. I couldn't register if I truly had kissed him or not. I was so drunk that I couldn't really remember what it had felt like. I frowned. He frowned at my frown.  
"What's the problem?" he asked, stroking my face.

"I can't remember our kiss," I mumbled.

"Lemme fix that," he smiled, and placed his lips against mine again. I knew I wouldn't be able to remember in five minutes. Our mouths moved together and our tongues entwined. I rolled on top of him. After about five minutes we broke apart and began on our feet again. We threw bottles of beer and a discovered bottle of vodka down our throats. We kissed, sang, danced, laughed and…

I stirred. I felt unbelievably crap. My stomach lurched. Oh shit. Too. Much. Alcohol. Sunlight streamed through a curtain. A curtain? Where was I? It was warm, comfortable and…a bed. How did I manage to get in a bed? Last I remembered I was on the beach…

Two realisations hit me then.

I was naked.

The mattress below me was moving. Breathing. Up and down. I was lying on someone's chest. Very slowly and carefully, I looked up. I tilted my head to see who it was.

Oh.

Shit.

_**Gerard.**_


	49. Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na

**WILLOW'S POV**

Oh my God. Had we had…? No…no of course not. Yet I couldn't remember. Vague memories danced about in my head. Kissing. I'd kissed Gerard. After all the time of wanting to kiss him, I'd managed to. But I'd been drunk at the time, and I couldn't recall how it had felt. I could've kicked myself. As I strained my brain to bring back last nights events, memories propped up. Gee….carrying me...upstairs…both laughing….both giggling…a bed…..this bed…kissing….touching… I began to quiver with exhilaration. It had felt so _good_. Oh God, I started remembering it sketchily…

"Gee," I sighed as he ran his hands up my sides. He kissed me from my neck down to my stomach. My hands held his shoulders.

He stared into my eyes, like he was staring deep into my soul. I shivered. He pulled me close to him and I brought my lips to his again. I pushed myself onto him hard, causing him to fall back onto the soft bed. Being only in swim suits, we were basically naked anyway.

His hands stealthily unlatched my bikini and he threw it on the floor. He gawped at me for a second, then went back to hungrily and passionately making out with me.

We were both naked now. He leant over me and I trembled. I wanted this. So fucking bad. Gerard and I…together. I ran my hands through his hair. We manoeuvred so he could get to me. As he leant into me I grabbed the bed sheets and gripped them firmly with my hands. I breathed out hard and sighed loudly. He went in again and I-

I gasped. My hand flew to my mouth. Gee stirred. I froze. His eyes flickered open and he yawned. Then he looked at me. I was sitting up in bed with some of the covers covering my chest, but obviously he could see my naked side, and almost my breast. His eyes widened.

"W-w-willow?" he stuttered. "Why are you na-…" he froze and I saw realisation in his eyes, "…why am _I _naked?" I couldn't speak. He couldn't remember yet. He sat up. I watched as I saw the cogs work in his brain behind his beautiful hazel eyes. He put the pieces together in his mind. I sat there and let him work it out. After a few moments, he glanced up at me again, eyes even _wider._ "…Oh!" I nodded and gulped. Did he regret it? We both blushed deeply. "Erm…last night…did we….erm…ya know…?" Still unable to speak, I plainly nodded again. We stared at each other. "Do you….remember it all?" he asked.

"Most of it," I replied, my voice rough and full of sleep still. He nodded.

"Me too….Damn," he growled. "I wished we'd been sober. So I could remember every last detail. Properly." I felt the same.

"So do I," I agreed, nodding yet again. Wariness in my eyes, I began to crawl over to him. He blinked at me, a soft red glowing in his cheeks. He sat there like that until I was kneeling right in front of him. "Maybe our first kiss…" I began, placing my hand behind his neck. I felt his hairs prickle on the back of it. "…should have been a little like this." I leant forward and gently placed my lips on his. It was so tender and so full of emotion that when we broke apart after just a few seconds and gazed into his eyes, I knew that he didn't regret the night before. His eyes were full of happiness and passion. Finally. A kiss to remember. He leant back in and kissed me again, but this time it didn't stop. We instantly wrapped our arms around each other. I suddenly didn't care that I was naked. Our mouths moved together in perfect synchronisation, and our tongues kissed inside. He pulled me on top of him and we were very nearly repeating what we couldn't properly remember from last night. But I didn't care. Neither did he. I just felt so…_right _with him. I felt ecstatic. This was who I had been waiting for. But never doubt that I hadn't loved Frank. I had. He had been everything to me at one point. But there was one thing he wasn't. He wasn't this. He wasn't…Gerard. His hands were all over me, making me shiver. I sighed as his touch made me tingle.

"Willow…" he breathed, kissing my neck. That was when there was a knock at the door.

"Shit!" I squeaked and immediately dove under the covers and froze. The door creaked open.

"Gee?" A pause. "Ah! Found you! Finally! I mean, everyone…they're _everywhere_!" It was Mikey. "I found Ray asleep on a table, Bob asleep in the bath…it's crazy! The whole party was crazy! There are still a few people here asleep. There's still a few people I haven't found. Frank and Willow…Have you any idea where they are?" I felt him freeze.

"No," he replied quickly, in a sort of strangled voice.

"Oh. Well, you never know! Maybe they got back together! How great would that be?" he said happily. I tensed. So did Gee. I saw his fist clench under the sheets.

"It'd be just peachy," he almost growled.

"Well, if you see either of them when you come out, make sure their ok. From what I saw, they were both pretty drunk last night!" The door shut. I slid up out of the covers. He was frowning.

"…You ok?" I touched his still-clenched fist under the bed covers.

"Yeah," he stopped frowning as much. "It's just…it's obvious everyone wants you and Frank back together…"

"Does it matter what other people think? It's me and you now, buddy. Me and you." He turned his head and looked at me. He smiled.

"So, I guess, we're…"

"Dating? I guess so," I grinned back. His eyes lit up. He leant forward and kissed me again.

"I love you," he whispered. My heart jumped. "I always have. Sometimes so bad it hurt me to see you and Frank together…" He avoided my gaze. "Not that I wasn't happy for you guys. I was just so…so jealous…" I cupped his face in my hands.

"I love you, Gerard Way. Always have done." He looked up, wide-eyed.

"What? But you and Frank-"

"I can't help what I feel, Gee. It's true. Doesn't mean I didn't love Frank. But I always knew…deep down…that it was you. You that I wanted." He didn't speak for a moment.

"If Frankie ever heard you say that…" he began. I blinked some tears onto my eye lashes.

"I know," I choked. I stroked away the tears.

"I understand. But…that was the reason for the break-up, wasn't it? He…he found out…" he asked. My heart thudded hard against my chest. I nodded.

"Yes…" I almost whispered.

"Why not keep our relationship quiet for a while? You know, until the time's right?" he suggested, rubbing my arm softly. I hugged him.

"I think that's the best thing to do."


	50. I'll Be Off To Find Some Other Way

**WILLOW'S POV**

I crept from the room, feeling elated after another passionate kiss with Gee. I'd left since we'd both worried Mikey would appear again. Still in my bikini, I ninja'd down the hall, hiding and looking out for any sign of the bespectacled bassist. As I did, I accidentally crashed into Ray, who walked out from a room as I passed it.

"Ow!" he half-whispered, half-cried.

"Sorry!" I quickly apologised.

"Now worries. No harm done. Mikey's looking for you, by the way."

"Is he? I had no idea," I lied.

"Apparently you were a little worse for wear last night," he giggled.

"Excuse me, mister, but you can't talk!" I retorted, chuckling.

"I 'spose I can't. Anyway, I'm off to shower. Go find Mikey. I think he thinks you've ended up asleep in a ditch or something."

"Oh."

"Exactly. Now goooo." He ushered me off and I continued my search for somewhere to pretend I'd fallen asleep. Sleeping people, bottles, cans and food were _everywhere_. I found a suitable closet, praying Mikey hadn't looked there yet. I curled up inside it but left the door open. Soon enough, I heard his voice along the hall. He was with someone. They stopped walking.

"So when are you going to see her again?" he asked the someone.

"Today. On the boulevard." Ah. The someone was Frank. He'd met a girl?

"Aw, that's cute. But…don't you think it's a little too soon? I mean, you and Willow only broke-up a couple of days ago…" I had been thinking the same as Mikey. But yet again, I had slept with Gerard. So I guess Frank had every right to find someone else. But someone so new? So soon?

"I know it seems a bit soon, but we just, clicked, ya know? We just talked the whole night. We didn't even kiss! And.., I felt something special about her. Not that I didn't with Willow. But Jamia…she's….something else..." Even though I'd had sex with his best friend, even though I'd condoned to this new other girl, that had stung. Right in my heart. He had found someone better than me. I felt instantly down-graded, like none of what we had had mattered any more. I frowned at myself angrily. Damn, I was such a hypocrite. I knew Frank would feel the same way if I'd said that about Gerard. And I knew that if I had to, I would be completely able to say all of those things truthfully. But still, no-one can help the jealous feelings in the aftermath (_'Aftermath' by GerardWayIsMyLife. Search that story on . Read it. It's amazing. Seriously. If you don't, Mikey will crumple into a ball and cry.) _of a relationship. I sighed. He had every right to move on. I loved Gerard. I always had.

"Frankie, if you're happy, then that's ok with me. But how do you think Willow's gonna take this?"

"Let's keep it to ourselves for now, ok?" They began moving again and I immediately shut my eyes. The closet door squeaked and someone gasped. I think it was Mikey.

"Here she is!" he sighed in relief.

"How the hell did she end up in a closet?" Frank asked, confused.

"How the hell did _you _end up in a tree?" Mikey shot back.

"Well…erm…I still haven't figured that one out…" Frank replied sheepishly. Strong arms lifted me from my little hidey-hole. How was little Mikey that strong? I squinted as discretely as I could. It was Frank. I couldn't help the fact that it felt nice to be in his arms again. In a weird way it was home. I felt safe with him. And I knew I always would. My feelings for him would never truly leave me, I realised. He placed me down on something soft – a sofa, I presumed.

"She looks so peaceful," Frank sighed, and I was sure it was him who scooped some of the hair out of my face. There was a long pause.

"What went wrong Frank?" Mikey asked gently. "It's clear you still have feelings for her."

"I do," he replied, sadness in his tone. "But…she fell in love…with someone else…" Mikey gasped.

"She did? Who?"

"Don't judge her. I liked the same person…" He'd said it. Out loud. To Mikey. There was an even longer pause than the one before.

"…You're….gay?" Mikey asked, shocked.

"No! Just…well, something happened between me and the guy. I was trying to prove a point to him. It happened whilst I was with Willow. We were both in the wrong. We couldn't have stayed in a relationship like that. Not when we'd discovered these things about each other." Frank sighed, and I felt someone sit down by my feet.

"Do you love him?"

"The guy? No! I never did. It was just that this thing happened, and it had felt…strangely good…"

"What happened?"

"…I kissed him. But just to let him make sure he wasn't gay. Something had happened between him and another guy, and he was worried he might suddenly turn gay. So I kissed him to see if he felt something when I did it. Turns out he didn't. But I did. I lied to him, and said I hadn't either…" Another long pause.

"Who….who's the guy?" Mikey asked, sounding somewhat scared, like somehow he knew what was coming.

"Gerard."

I froze. Mikey gasped.


	51. Let The Walls Come Down

**A/N: Um. I guess it's been a while since I updated, huh? Hides sheepishly Talks from behind tree Please forgive me! It's just I've been so busy lately, I haven't had the time. Anyway, here it is, the follow-up chapter. :P**

**FRANK'S POV**

Mikey stared at me.

"I'm…sorry…" I mumbled. He carried on staring. He didn't look angry…just shocked.

"H-how?...Why?" he choked. So I told him. Everything. About Jay and Gee's kiss, and my kiss with Gee. He listened, eyes wide, taking it all in.

"So you see, I don't _love _him, it was just that…that kiss…" I finished. "Mikey?" He was zoned out, staring at the floor now. I poked him. "Mikey?" I repeated. He came out of his funk and looked up into my eyes.

"..Sorry…It's just that's a lot…to take in…" he breathed.

"Sorry if I weirded you out…" I said sheepishly.

"No, not weirded out…just…taken by surprise…So, no one's gay…? Except Jared, obviously." I nodded.

"No one. I promise."

"I wouldn't judge you if you _were _gay. I don't think any less of you after hearing that. I guess I just have to accept it." I hugged him.

"Thanks for being so cool with this, Mikey. Just…don't tell anyone, ok?" He nodded.

"Of course not." He smiled. Just then, Willow's eyes flickered open and she blinked sleepily.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Mikey chuckled, yet I still heard the strain in his tone. He was still finding it hard to register.

"Mornin'" she yawned.

"Feeling ok this morning?" I asked. She clutched her head.

"Not particularly," she replied, groaning.

"By the way, you ended up in a closet," I informed her. "How?" She paused for a moment, and for a second I was sure I saw worry on her face.

"Erm…" she began.

"Don't worry, Willow. Frank still can't work out how he ended up in a tree!" Mikey giggled. I shot him a look. She sat up slowly. "Want some water?" She nodded.

"Please…" she sighed, sitting up. Mikey dropped down on the couch beside her and hugged her.

"Last night was fun, huh?" he grinned. But…she didn't grin back. She looked…worried? Mikey frowned. "You ok?" he asked. She snapped out of her little trance and beamed at him.

"I'm awesome! Now, where's that water?" I raised an eyebrow. That expression had to have meant something. But, ignoring it, I strolled into the kitchen to grab her a glass of the clear stuff. When I entered, Gee was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Morning," I said cheerfully. He glanced up. He pulled a weak smile. He looked…strained.

"…Morning…" Again, my eyebrow raised.  
"What's up? You look bummed out, man." He pulled a wider, tighter smile.

"Nothings wrong!" he quickly reassured me. I frowned.

"I know when you're lying, you know," I grumbled, sitting down beside him. His eyes widened, and then relaxed.  
"Just…erm…thinking about all the girls I got with last night. I'm worrying people might think I'm a man whore…"

**GERARD'S POV**

I prayed to God he'd bought that. If he didn't, how the hell would I make up a better lie? He looked at me for a while. Then he burst into peals of laughter.

"You? A man whore?" he laughed so hard tears jerked from his eyes. He grabbed my shoulder to keep himself in his chair. "I'm sorry, I just had an image of you as a pimp!" He roared with laughter more, and to be honest, the idea of myself as a pimp made me chuckle too. Plus, he'd bought the lie. I was safe…for now. Whilst he calmed down, I sipped my coffee. His eyes spied a forgotten, open packet of skittles on the table.  
"…Are they yours?" he asked.

"No."

"…Oh good." And with that he grabbed them and began wolfing them down. I pulled a disgusted face. Through a mouthful of rainbow, he managed an innocent "what?" I rolled my eyes. Suddenly there were footsteps. I looked up and saw Willow and Mikey enter the kitchen. Willow caught my eye and blushed.

"You were supposed to get me water!" she groaned at Frank, who almost choked.

"*cough* oh yeah! *cough* sorry! *cough*" he held up the packet and pointed at them. "Skittles!" She too rolled her eyes and crossed the kitchen to the sink. Mikey plopped down in a seat.

"I found her! Asleep in a closet, of ALL places!" Mikey giggled, and from behind their backs, Willow turned around and winked at me, smiling. I chuckled.

"A closet? Wow. That's random!"

"No. Falling asleep in a tree," Mikey said at Frank. "Now THAT's random!" We burst out laughing.

"You fell asleep in a _tree_?" I snorted. He frowned.

"…I think… I think someone bet me that I couldn't get to the top branch. And I did, just to prove my point. Then, I got too scared to come down…"

"So you slept up there?" Mikey sniggered.  
"…Yes," he mumbled. We roared with laughter again. Willow came and sat down with us.  
"Do you want a towel or something?" Mikey coughed, his eyes averting from Willow's body. She was still only dressed in a bikini. She glanced down at herself.

"Um…yes. I… hadn't noticed," she said, blushing. Mikey stood up.  
"I'll go get you one of my shirts, actually," he said decidedly.

"No, get one of mine. They're bigger," I suggested. Mikey nodded and ran off. A minute later, Frank stood up.  
"Gotta go take a shower." He sniffed his armpit. "I smell like shit." As he walked off, Willow and I both muttered "nice." We were then alone again, and a small smile crept over her face. A small smile crept over mine too. I put my hand on her hand. I jumped slightly when I felt her foot begin to rub up and down my leg. I quivered in excitement. She went to lean in to put her lips on mine, but I stopped her.

"What if someone sees?" I reminded her. She rolled her eyes and sat back, arms crossed.

"Fine. Later then." She winked and grinned.

"Definitley."

**I **_**KNOW **_**it's short. I **_**KNOW **_**it's a filler. But trust me, there should be a BIG plot line soon. Anyhoo. If you don't review, Frank hurts inside. In his heart. He feels unloved, lonely and depraved of review. If you love Frank, you'll review, out of the goodness of **_**your**_** heart :3**


	52. They'll Leave You Alone But Not ME

**GERARD'S POV**

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" came am enraged scream from the living room. Both mine and Willow's heads shot up and we stared in the direction of the yelling. We looked back at each other. Then we darted out of the room. Jared was standing in the centre of the living room, hands on hips and glaring at the floor. "WHAT IS THIS?" he repeated, now pointing behind the sofa. We scooted around so we could see, and we both gasped. A slimy, whitish liquid was all over the floor. I couldn't help but burst out into fits of laughter.  
"Dude – that – is - " I snorted, but Jared cut me off.

"I KNOW WHAT IT FUCKING IS!" he roared. "BUT WHY THE HELL IS IT ALL OVER MY FLOOR?" I laughed more. Willow was sniggering loudly.

"Someone got a bit excited last night, I'm guessing?" she giggled. Jared pulled a disgusted face.  
"This is gross. Seriously. Someone JIZZED on my wooden floor. I AM LIVID!" he cried, and stamped his foot. Willow and I had to hug each other because we were laughing so much. Tears sprung from our eyes. It was at that moment that Mikey came rushing in.

"Hey Willow, I brought you Gerard's -" And with that, Mikey rushed in front of Jared and slipped through the jizz. He flew backwards, screaming, and landed with a THUD on the floor. "OW!" he groaned. There was an explosion of laughter. Jared, Willow and I couldn't help themselves. Mikey had landed in someone's jizz. If ONLY I'd had a camera. Mikey frowned up at me. "Hey, it's not funny! I hurt myself!" he moaned.  
"You – landed – in – OH GOD – you – landed – in – HELL I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT – in - " I tried to say, but failed because of the laughter.

"YOU LANDED IN JIZZ!" Willow shrieked maniacally. Mikey's eyes widened and he froze. He didn't seem to know what to do. Then he just freaked out. He bounced up as quickly as he could and stared at the slippery substance on the floor. He wrenched off his shirt and threw it on the floor, constantly repeating "ew ew ew ew" over and over again. And the rest of us just could NOT stop laughing. Alicia walked in.

"What's everyone laughing about?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Your – boyfriend - " Jared choked " - slipped – in – someone's – jizz – oh god, it's fucking HILARIOUS!" Alicia giggled. Then she roared along laughing with the rest of us.

"OH MIKEY! OH THAT'S SO FUNNY!" She had to hold her stomach to help her breathe. Mikey snarled and checked the rest of his body for slime. He spun around and we all saw it all over his ass. WE LAUGHED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

"Mikey's gonna have to strip! You got it on your ass, bro!" I gasped, trying desperately to breathe. Mikey cursed and patted his jean bottoms gingerly, gagging when he got jizz on his hands. He hurriedly tugged his jeans off and stood in the centre of the room in just his boxers. Still, the laughter didn't stop. Ray entered the room looking at the floor. Then he looked up and saw Mikey. He stopped walking. He froze. He looked scarred.  
"….Um….I'm kinda afraid to ask…" he stuttered, his eyes locked on the nearly-naked Way in front of him. Mikey blushed deeply. Jared quickly breathed out what had happened through a fit of giggles and Ray soon joined in with the mockery.

"Dude. You slipped in man juice. That's just plain NASTY!" Ray guffawed.  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! ALL OF YOU! This is…oh lord…this is so EMBARASSING!" he squeaked. He bolted out of the door.

"It's such a shame no one had a camera!" I sighed, annoyed yet still laughing. That was when Frank stepped out of the shadows waving a camera in his hands.

"I got it. I got it ALL."

**WILLOW'S POV**

***TEN LAUGHTER FILLED MINUTES LATER***

We sat around the kitchen table, with mugs of coffee and huge smiles on our faces. Mikey shuffled in nervously, blushing and his hair wet from a quick shower. Snorts of laughter arose from the group of us. Alicia dashed over to him and threw her arms around him.

"Don't listen to them. It was an accident…" but she couldn't keep a straight face for long. She burst out laughing in his face but quickly tried to keep calm, failing miserably. "I'm sorry, it's just you landed in…HAHAHAHAH!" She collapsed onto him, pounding his chest gently with her fist and breathing deeply.

"Please…don't remind me of that…" he mumbled, moving over to the kettle. There was a sound of footsteps outside. Bob peered into the room and smiled.  
"Morning all. Heard the commotion but I was in the bathroom – what happened?" Mikey turned away and pretended he wasn't listening.

"Mikey slipped…..in jizz…." Gerard breathed through soft chuckles. Bob's eyes widened, yet he didn't laugh.  
"Oh."

"Bob, it's fucking funny. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, MAN?" Jared asked, his jaw hanging.

"Um…yeah…about that…" Everyone froze.

"….Bob?" Jared said in a teeny tiny voice. "….Was it….was it you….?"

"…."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Mikey screamed.


	53. Two Shots To The Back Of The Head

**GERARD'S POV**

No one wanted to ask Bob what had happened… It was too… ugh. We all left the room hastily, and as I rushed past the inside garage door, someone grabbed me by my t-shirt and pulled me in. I gasped and span around, and Willow put her finger to her lips. She smiled. So did I. I pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around me. We melted into a kiss and I pushed her against the wall. I slid my hands under my shirt that she was wearing, and ran them up and down her slender sides. She shivered excitedly. I was so goddamn lucky. I'd got the girl of my dreams. She was beautiful, and wonderful…. and she was MINE. I grinned into the kiss and she traced my lips with the tip of her tongue. I tingled and began to kiss her neck. She let out soft moans of pleasure as I caressed her skin with my tongue. I lifted her legs up and she hitched them around my back. The wall kept her from falling backwards. It was nearly pitch black in the garage…no lights were on at all. Only a thin strip of sunlight under the gap of the outside garage doo provided enough light to see her outline. She clutched onto my hair and pulled my lips back to hers. Our mouths moved in sync with each other and I sighed enthusiastically. Suddenly the garage door opened. The light flicked on. We had no time to break apart. Ray stood there staring.

"…What the hell?" he gasped, his eyes wide. We couldn't speak. I let Willow drop to her feet. We both blushed intensely.

"Shit," I murmured under my breath. We all stood there awkwardly for a moment. Then Ray spoke.  
"So…this been going on for long?" he asked accusingly. He gestured at both of us. We paused.

"No!" I hurried. His mouth was taut, and his eyes angry. He shut the door, and folded his arms.

"Not long, huh? But before Frank and Willow broke up?" he growled.

"What? No! Dammit Ray, you know we'd never do that!" Willow cried. Ray's face softened when he saw the tears in her eyes. "How could you even accuse us of having an affair? Do I seem like that kind of person?"

"They never do…" he retorted gruffly. I stepped forward.

"Look, Ray, last night we were all drunk, ok? Willow and I got together, and here we are now! Please, don't start having a go at us for nothing!" My heart fell when I saw the disapproval in his eyes.

"You just ended it with Frank, Willow. How would he feel if he found out you'd moved on so fast?"

"He won't find out because you won't-" I began, but Willow cut me off.

"It's not like he didn't get with another girl at the party! I heard him! He's meeting up with some girl he met last night – Jamie or something – on the boulevard today! He's moved ON, Ray! And so have I!" She wiped the tears away from her eyes furiously. "And you wanna know? You wanna know what he _said_? He said that she was something special! That she was something else from me entirely! Do you know how much that hurt me? I've felt like shit all day because he's found someone better than me, when I tried desperately to be the best girlfriend ever! Just shows how good I was at that job! You know what Gerard? Seeing as I'm oh-so-awful at being a girlfriend, let's just end it here. I have to go!" Tears flooding from her eyes, she left the garage and slammed the door behind her. I was frozen, though my eyes welled up. Ray's eyes were wide.

"I'm sorry…I had no idea…" he whimpered.

"Neither did I…" I mumbled, shell-shocked.

"I'm so sorry, Gerard!" he cried.

"No, Ray, it's ok. I understand why you were worried. But I promise you, we weren't having an affair. You can trust me." He walked forward and hugged me.  
"I'm sorry for doubting you. Look, I'll go find Willow and apologise, ok?" I nodded and he left me standing there, a solitary tear falling down my cheek. She obviously still cared about Frank, or it wouldn't have hurt her so bad. I guess I was just the rebound guy…

**WILLOW'S POV**

I collapsed onto my bed, pounding the mattress and bawling into the pillow. I knew what Gerard would think. I'd basically just told him that Frank still meant something to me – into his face. And now we were ruined. The door opened and someone sat on the end of my bed.

"Willow, I'm so sorry," Ray sniffled.

"Piss off."

"I didn't know…I didn't know he'd said that… And I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about you and Gerard…" I heard the honesty in his voice. I sat up.

"Ray…I love Gerard. It wasn't just a one-night-stand with him… I've loved him since the moment I met him…"

"Wait… you had…last night…you had…?" he choked, blushing.

"Yeah, pretty much," I replied, blushing too.

"But wait… you've loved Gerard since then? But what about Frank?"

"I loved Frank too! So much! But I knew he wasn't the one for me! Subconsciously, it's always been Gerard…" I mumbled the last sentence, but he heard it.

"If Frank ever heard you say that…"

"Then it would serve him right for saying that shit about Jamia!"

"How did you hear it?" I paused.

"Um…I pretended to be asleep…and Mikey and Frank were talking…"  
"So he didn't actually say it to your face? It was part of his private conversation with Mikey?"  
"Yeah but still! He meant what he said!" New tears spurted from my eyes. Ray grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug.  
"You two are just as bad as each other, you know?" he chuckled softly. I smiled weakly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. About what you've said about Frank, and about you and Gerard. I promise." I nodded and snuggled into his chest. He squeezed me gently.  
"Sorry you had to walk in on that earlier…" I mumbled. He laughed gently.

"Don't worry…I'm just glad it's Gerard and not one of those dope-heads from the party!"


	54. Blow A Kiss At The Methane Skies

**MIKEY'S POV**

Around lunch time, I was sitting on the sofa flicking through tv shows. Nothing good was on, so I switched it off. I rested my head back and closed my eyes, listening to the drum roll of the ocean. I was nearly asleep when I felt something on my mouth. I snapped open my eyes and found Liss had placed her lips on mine. It was a Spiderman kiss too. I grinned into it and she pulled away, but kept her face only centimetres from mine.

"I couldn't resist," she giggled, and I sat up. "Come with me," she said, holding out her hand. "Let's go for a walk." I obliged happily and slid my hand into hers as we walked out of the door. We removed our shoes and let our feet sink into the hot sand. Jared sat up from his sun chair and looked at us over his sunglasses.

"Where are you two off to, this fine afternoon?" he asked wonderingly.  
"Just going for a little wander, Jay. The boulevard is that way, right?" She pointed down along the beach. Jay nodded.

"Yup, that's the way. Have fun, you two!" he smiled, and went back to sunbathing. Liss squeezed my hand gently and we swung our arms back and forth, walking along the beach.

"That party last night was intense," Alicia mused after a small while of comfortable silence.

"It sure was! I got so drunk…" I sighed, shaking my head at myself in shame.

"You're so funny when you're drunk," she giggled, poking my side and letting go of my hand. She darted away across the beach, laughing. "Remember when you tripped and fell on your ass? HILARIOUS!" I clenched my fists and tried to frown, but her stunning, smiling face made it pretty much impossible. I laughed through my mock-anger. She turned on her heel and ran down to the waters edge, dipping her feet in the cool liquid and walking along. I jogged over and pulled up beside her, interlocking our hands once again. A little while later, I nearly dropped my shoe, and frantically fumbled with it as it fell to the ground. I caught it before it landed in the water, but Liss was laughing at me.

"Nice save," she chuckled. I pushed her gently, but hard enough so that she knew I was pretending to be annoyed. It's hard to stay angry at someone you love so goddamn much. Eventually we reached the boulevard, and we washed our feet at a small tap sticking out from a wall. Slipping our shoes back on, we walked past all of the shops and restaurants, admiring trinkets and smelling tasty smells. Liss stopped at a jewellery store – she peered in through the window and I saw her gazing at one item in particular. It was a silver necklace with a small, beautifully cut blue gem on it, in the shape of a heart. Sighing, she decided to stop looking after about ten minutes and we continued our walk. The sun was beating down hard, and I was beginning to sweat. Alicia saw me panting.

"Dude, if you're THAT hot, just take off your shirt." I let out a bark of laughter. Then I realised she was serious.

"I take my shirt off for NO ONE. You've seen what's underneath here!" I motioned at my chest area. "That's not a pretty sight!"  
"Everyone else is walking around without a shirt on! And you are GORGEOUS babe!" She placed her hand on my chest and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her back. I suddenly realised she was tugging up my shirt. I unpicked myself from her and yanked it back down. I glared at her and she sniggered.

"Sorry…." She shrugged, winking. I rolled my eyes and we continued walking. A few moments later, Liss tapped my arm. "Is that Frank?" she asked. I glanced around and finally saw we she was pointing. Frank was sitting at a table outside a café, obviously with the girl he'd met last night. She was pretty – she had cropped brown hair and a nice smile. "Who is that?" Liss whispered as we drew ever closer.

"A girl he met last night called Jamia. They hit it off straight away. He likes her a lot," I replied. Liss frowned.

"But he and Willow-" she began, but I cut her off.

"I know. But Willow doesn't know, so don't say anything." Liss stopped.

"Of course I wouldn't say anything!" She flicked me on my forehead. "You retard," she sighed, strolling into a store. I rubbed my head and stomped after her, but before I went into the store, I took one last glance at Frank. He was laughing and so was she. Heck, I hated to say it…but they suited each other.

**FRANK'S POV  
**

"No WAY! It was YOU that bet I couldn't climb the tree?" She blushed and nodded, then started giggling uncontrollably. I frowned, then began to laugh too. "I couldn't get down from there! I'm like, SO afraid of heights!"

"Sorry Frank," she chuckled. "If I'd have known….heck, I'd probably still have bet you anyway!" I pulled a grumpy face and slumped back in the chair. She stopped laughing as much and leant forward. Her hand slid over mine. Her face turned serious.  
"Thank you. So much. For last night… If you hadn't hit that guy… I'd probably have had the worst night of my life." Her eyes welled up at the thought of it.

"It was nothing, seriously. He was being a dick to you. Why? Why did he suddenly do that to you?" A tear spilled down her face.

"At school…I'm a bit of an outcast. People judge me because I'm fatter than they are. I'm not saying that I don't have friends…It's just people like that…What do they get out of doing that to someone? A kick because they know they're degrading and hurting someone?" Her hand left mine and her fist clenched. She angrily rubbed her tears away. "Stupid prick." I understood her. He'd always been an outcast too.  
"C'mon. Let's get outta here." I stood up and tucked in my chair. She followed suit and soon we were walking down the boulevard again. She was quiet for a while.

"I'm sorry I got us feeling down…" she muttered.  
"Don't worry about it!" I sighed, smiling. She looked back at me and smiled weakly.

"So. When am I going to get to meet these friends of yours that you told me oh-so-much about last night?" She had changed the topic. I gulped. I totally wasn't ready to let Willow meet her. All I was thinking was "shit."

"Erm…I'm not sure. I mean, they're all out at the moment." I was lying. I hated it. "But maybe soon, when they're all home?" She smiled weakly again and turned to look at the beach. I hit my forehead with my palm because I felt so stupid, but it made a louder noise than I'd aimed for. She snapped her head back around.

"What was that?" she gasped.  
"Stupid flies!" I blurted, then proceeded in swatting the air with my hand. She raised an eyebrow. There were no flies. When she looked back at the beach, I couldn't help but face-palm.

**WILLOW'S POV**

I walked downstairs, heading for the kitchen to make a coffee. When I went in, Gerard was already there making one for himself. I blushed and stood awkwardly in the door frame. He pulled a half-smile but stayed silent, quickly turning back to look at the kettle.

"Gee…I'm sorry…About earlier…" I stammered. He shrugged.

"I get it. You still love Frank. No biggie." His voice was flat and cold. He was right. I did still love Frank. But only the teeniest, tiniest amount compared to him.

"I don't. It's just hard hearing someone say that they've found someone better than you!" He shrugged again and didn't make eye contact as he poured the kettle.

"I guess…" he mumbled. I walked over and stood beside him. I stared at him intensely – frighteningly even – until he just HAD to look at me.

"Gerard. I love you. A heck of a lot. But we both can't help the fact that Frank and I have a past. The past can't be altered. You know that." He sighed and put his mug down. He smiled slightly and kissed my cheek.

"You're right. It can't be changed. And I love you a heck of a lot too," he winked. I quickly listened out for any footsteps outside the room. When I was sure we were alone, I leant up and kissed him hard, pushing him back into the kitchen side. He span me around and pushed me into it instead, so I jumped up onto the side and he stood between my legs. My hands rifled through his short black hair. Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside the room and pushed him away. He coughed embarrassingly and scooped up his coffee mug.  
"So…you came here when you were younger, huh?" he asked, trying to act as casual as possible. Jared walked in and bought the whole lie – he just thought we were talking. He stopped for a while to join in the conversation, but sooner after left with his new glass of martini. The moment he left Gerard grabbed me and kissed me again, our tongues intertwining. We got so into it this time that I didn't hear the footsteps. A small cough arose from the door way. We both broke apart and snapped our faces towards the sound. Ray stood there awkwardly.

"I…um…just…came to get…" he stuttered. "….You know what…? ….Never mind…." And with that he scarpered off. Gerard chuckled and I giggled. I jumped down from the kitchen side and he kissed the top of my head. He hugged me one last time, and we left the room, one after the other.


	55. I'll Wear This On My Sleeve

**FRANK'S POV**

I peered through the window of the tattoo parlour and watched as a huge, muscly man winced in pain at the needle being jabbed like, a billion times a second into his arm. He cried out a couple of times and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Jamia was watching too.

"Are you SURE you want to get one done? It looks…painful…" she whimpered. I grinned widely.

"Because it's fucking amazing! I know EXACTLY what I want…I've been planning this for years!" I squeaked, and darted inside. She realised I'd disappeared and quickly followed. I strolled up to a heavily tattooed guy behind the counter and he looked up at me. He looked me up and down and smiled.

"Alright man? You here for a tattoo?" he asked kindly. I nodded eagerly. Then he looked behind me. "Got an adult with you?" I looked around. There was no adult there. What a silly question to ask!

"Um…no…? Just my friend Jamia?" I motioned at her and he laughed.

"No no, I meant you need someone older than eighteen with you to get it done. Sorry about that. Come back when you can though, ok buddy?" He winked and smiled in a friendly manner, but I left the place annoyed.

"Well, that went well," I said gruffly, stomping down the street with Jamia in tow.  
"All you need to do is find someone who's eighteen! Do you know anyone?" I stopped. JARED.

"YES!" I cried out in joy. Without thinking, I hugged her. When realisation hit, I froze. She had frozen already. As I pulled away, I blushed. So did she. I rubbed the back of my head, embarrassed. She shuffled her feet and smiled.

"That was…nice…" she chuckled sarcastically. "Thanks for attacking me!" I laughed and we carried out walking. As our hands swung at our sides, they continually brushed each other. And at every touch, I smiled.

**JARED'S POV**

So there I was. Happily lying in the Miami sun, not a care in the world. So…relaxed. I was drifting in and out of consciousness. So…peaceful…

"JARED JARED JARED JARED JARED!" a voice yelled excitedly at my face. I woke with a start and toppled off of the sun bed onto the floor. I glared up at the sheepish-looking Frank staring down at me apologetically.

"Wow. Thanks for that," I growled at him. He muttered several apologies and helped me to my feet. I was about to shout at him when I saw a girl standing behind him shyly. I didn't recognise her. I went to ask her name but Frank butted in with:

"I need your help!" I raised an eyebrow.

"With what? Knowing the right time to scream in someone's face?"

"I said I was sorry."

"Whatever. It didn't hurt. What do you need?" He looked apprehensive to speak. "Out with it, foo'!"  
"Well…I…Um…Need your help…getting a…tattoo?" He said the last word almost silently. But I heard it.

"What? A tattoo? Seriously?" He blushed and looked at his feet. I was shocked. He'd mentioned it a couple of times in the past, but I'd never taken him seriously.

"Well…yeah…I mean, it's something I've always wanted to do…so…will you help me?" His eyes pleaded with me mercilessly.  
"Help you HOW?" I asked, confused.

"I need someone older to give me permission," he muttered.

"Oh. Well, of course. I mean, what are friends for, huh?" I smiled as he jumped at me. He hugged me tight and ploughed me with thank you's. I chuckled. Then my eyes met with the strange girl. "Who are you?" I asked. She smiled.

"I'm Jamia. Frank's friend?" She introduced herself as though she'd expected me to have heard of her. But…I hadn't.

"Oh…We haven't met. I'm Jared." I put my hand out and she shook it. "So, when you getting it done, Frank?" I turned to him.

"Um…now?" he replied bluntly.

"Oh. Well do you have the money for that? They cost quite a bit."

"Yeah, I've saved up for ages. I've got enough. Can we go now? Please?" He bounced on his feet a little, showing his eagerness. I sighed, rolled my eyes and nodded.

"I'll go leave a note telling the rest of the guys where we are."

**~HALF AN HOUR LATER~**

We entered the small tattoo parlour, Frank's eyes all aglow with amazement and anticipation. The guy behind the counter looked up and grinned.

"Hey dude! You're back! Did you come prepared this time?" he asked. Frank pointed at me and the guy nodded. He shook Frank's hand. "Nice to meet you. The name's Gino. How can I help?" Frank proceeded in rooting around in his jean pocket. He pulled out a folded bit of paper and handed it to Gino. He opened it a smiled. "This is good. Really good. Did you draw this?" Frank shook his head.  
"Nope. My friend Gerard designed it for me. He's a bit of an artist."  
"Well, I can certainly do this for you. I'll get it sorted out. If you come back in about half and hour, I'll be ready to tatt you up!" We left the parlour and had a coffee in the Starbucks on the boulevard. It was nice to be back in Miami again.

**~ANOTHER HALF AN HOUR LATER~**

We went back to the parlour after half an hour of an overly excited Frank buzzing on about how overly excited he was. During the time, it turned out that he and Jamia had met the night before and decided to meet up today to get to know each other more. She was kind and friendly, and just overall a nice person. We warmed to each other immediately, and were laughing with each other after only ten minutes of getting to know each other. Gino greeted us and showed us the final sketch-up of Frank's tattoo. I gasped. It was awesome. It was a jack-o-lantern carved with a kick-ass evil grin.  
"Wow, Frank! That's epic!" I said in awe. He smiled and winked at me.  
"Told you so!" Gino then asked Frank for the money. Even though he had the right amount, I saw Frank wince at the amount of money he was having to give over. He wasn't as…well-off as I was. He must have been saving for years.

"Ok, come sit over here, and we'll get you all sorted. You wanted it on the top of your back, right?" Gino gestured at a chair and Frank pulled off his shirt as he went to sit down.

"Yeah, just here…" He pointed it out as well as he could and Gino nodded.

"Sure thing! Let's do this!" Gino washed his hands and pinged on some surgical gloves. He rubbed the top of Frank's back with disinfectant to sterilise the skin. Jamia and I sat down on chairs beside him, and Frank was smiling endlessly. Gino then pressed the transfer of Frank's tattoo in the exact right place and started up the needle. When it touched his skin, Frank jolted and Gino chuckled.

"You gotta stay still or this is gonna go all Costa Rica! Just relax, and focus your mind somewhere else, ok?" Gino patted Frank's shoulder and went back to the tattoo. Frank winced a lot and gasped in pain as the ink was injected under his skin. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as he fought to mentally make the pain go away. Gino, on the other hand, was smiling away as he pierced Frank's back with the needle. We talked to Frank to keep his mind off of it, and Gino sometimes joined in with our conversations. The tattoo was taking forever – after the outline was finished an hour and a half had passed already – so Jamia and I went to grab another coffee whilst Frank was having the shading done. When we got back, he was gripping the sides of the chair so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tears of pain were dripping from his eyes.

"Someone's happy," I chuckled as I sat back down. He flipped me the finger. Another two hours passed. I regretted allowing him to have the tattoo now. I was so goddamn bored. I actually fell asleep for about half an hour when Jamia poked me.

"He's all done!" she breathed in relief, and I glanced up at Frank, who was admiring his new artwork in the mirror.  
"Shit, it's fucking awesome! Thanks bro!" He shook hands with Gino again and walked towards us, beaming.  
"Well, lets see it then!" I urged. He span around and my eyes widened. It looked incredible. "Oh my God! Gino, what an awesome job!"

"I only inked it. The person who deserves the most credit is the dude who drew this. I mean, it's fantastic," Gino smiled. He applied a wad of bandage to the tattoo and stuck it down. "Ok, so keep the bandage on the tatt for 24 hours. Don't touch it and don't pick any scabs that come up. Get one of your friends to wash it with antibacterial soap and pat it dry – don't rub it. Also, don't get it wet until it's fully healed, stay outta the sun too. And if you HAVE to go in the sun, put at least a factor 30 on the tatt. You got all that?" Frank nodded.

"Thank you so much!" he cried, shaking Gino's hand again.

"No problem. If anything's worrying you about it, come back to me. We'll get you sorted." We left the tattoo parlour with Frank literally skipping down the sidewalk.

**GERARD'S POV**

The clock struck 4pm. I was laying on the sofa, my eyes closed as I rested. The TV was on in the background, and I could here Willow and Liss chatting and laughing in the kitchen. The sound of the shower in the downstairs and upstairs bathrooms drifted through the house as Bob and Mikey washed themselves (not TOGETHER, obviously) and Ray's handheld video game sounds tinkled from across the room. I yawned and stretched. Sitting up, I saw the front door open and Frank, Jared and some strange girl rushed in laughing. Frank saw me and hurried over.

"Gerard! GUESS WHAT?" he cried, nearly falling on top of me. He shifted in the chair and looked at him.

"What?" I asked wonderingly. My eyes widened as he began to take off his shirt. "Woah there. I didn't know you felt that way about me Frankie!" He poked his tongue out at me and wrenched his shirt off. He span around and I gasped. "OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" He had a huge bandage on his back and the skin was all red. Had he been injured? Frank span back around, confusion all over his face. Then realisation hit.

"OH! Oh no! I'm not hurt! Look, just peel off the bandage!" I backed away a litte.

"What?"

"Just peel it off, seriously!" I cautiously stepped forwards and tucked my nails beneath the tape. Willow and Liss walked in and stood watching, their faces full of confusion. Gingerly, I peeled the tape off and revealed-

"Oh my…Oh my God…" I breathed. "…My artwork." There, at the top of his back in the centre was the jack-o-lantern I'd drawn for him two years ago. He'd kept it and had it permanently placed onto his body. Tears filled my eyes slightly. It was such a sentimental gesture. I lightly touched the smile but he winced away.

"Dude it hurts!" he groaned. He saw my emotional face and broke into a grin. "I knew you'd love it," he said softly. I laughed gently and pulled him into the biggest best-friend hug I possibly could.


	56. No One Ever Liked You Anyway

**WILLOW'S POV**

The relationship between Gerard and I was halted by the constant fact that everyone else was always around. We'd try to sneak in little moments together but they were always apprehended by someone walking down the corridor, or opening the door, for example. After two days, Jared knew everything. I could never NOT tell him anything. He was my rock, my best friend. Frank finally introduced me to Jamia too. He'd said she was "a friend he'd met at the party." Pssh. Anyway, she was a nice enough girl. Easy on the eye, a friendly personality… I hated her. Well, hate is a strong word. I disliked her greatly. It was only because I knew what Frank thought of her. How she was…oh, how did he put it… "something else." She'd hung around with us over the past few days, being all "nicey nicey" and "ooh, I'll help with that!" Bitch. She'd been overly kind to me and the entire time I'd either ignored her or brushed her off. I sat at the table in the kitchen watching as she laughed at some joke with Mikey. My toes curled. My hands wrapped around my coffee tightly. I shouldn't hate her. She'd done NOTHING wrong. But I couldn't help it. It was unnecessary jealousy. I couldn't just block out the feelings I still had for Frank deep down. They were deep enough for me not to worry about it coming between Gerard and I. But they weren't deep enough to not come between Jamia and I. She and Mikey walked over and sat down with me. I pulled a horrific fake smile and she smiled genuinely back, suspecting nothing. I wondered if Frank had even told her about our history together. Although Jamia was fooled by my forced smile, Mikey certainly wasn't. He knew me far too well. He moved his face where Jamia couldn't see it, and pointed at me, then him, then at the door whilst mouthing the words: "you, me, OUTSIDE NOW." I shrugged and shook my head, taking a sip of my coffee. He frowned further and stood up. I gave him eyes as if to say: "you can't leave me with her!" But, being the shit that he was, he shrugged, shook his head, and walked out.

"Where'd he go?" she asked oh-so-innocently.

"No idea," I sighed, avoiding her gaze. "I don't care to be honest." She smiled sympathetically and put her hand on mine, which repulsed me.

"Are you ok? You seem really down." AWWW HOW SWEET. (bleurgh)

"I'm fine thanks." I pulled my hand from beneath hers and placed it on my coffee again. I still didn't meet her eyes, but I knew she was frowning.  
"It's me, isn't it?" she mumbled. The sadness in her tone made me almost feel bad, but, I sucked it up and ignored it. "I'm sorry. Frank told me about…about you two. I…I didn't know at first…If I had…I would never have even initiated anything. I'm not that kind of girl, you have to believe me, Willow!" Her voice was so sincere, that I found it extremely hard to dislike her. I sighed.

"It's not…well, it kinda is…but it's not all you. I mean, you didn't DO anything wrong. Frank sees something in you that he never saw in me. I overheard him say it. And…and it hurt to hear that…" Oh god, bring on the tears. I looked so stupid, welling up in front of her. She put her hand on mine again and this time I didn't pull it away. She wore the most earnest face I'd ever seen. She stood up, walked around to me and hugged me. I…I hugged her back. I couldn't hate this girl. She was…lovely.  
"I'm so sorry," she breathed apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry. For disliking you through no fault of your own. I'm such a horrible person!" I cried.  
"No you're not! If I was in your shoes I'd hate me too! I didn't mean for Frank to like me! I didn't even really know that he did! I didn't want to get my hopes up…" I let her go and stared at her.

"Who WOULDN'T like you? You're so darn pretty and kind! I'm just a plain old boring son of a bitch." She blushed.  
"Actually, you're beautiful. And don't doubt that. Frank made me realise that I shouldn't doubt myself. He…he called me beautiful…" She looked incredibly happy. I realised what an ass I'd been to her. I stood up and hugged her tightly.

"Let's put all this behind us. I'll try my hardest to like you," I chuckled. She smiled and we broke apart. From that day onwards, we were very, very good friends.

**MIKEY'S POV**

From outside the door…I smiled triumphantly.

**GERARD'S POV**

"Can I poke it?" I asked as Frank sat in the bathtub. He was dressed only in his swimming trunks. I'd been allocated his 'tatt washer.'  
"No."

"…Please?"

"No! It fucking hurts still!" he groaned. I laughed and dabbed the wet tattoo with a towel. He stood up and climbed out of the bath. "Thanks Gee," he smiled, grabbing his t-shirt and shorts.

"No problem. Hey, so how are you and Jamia doing?" He froze for a millisecond and then continued getting dressed.

"We're ok. She's a great girl."

"Better than Willow?" I threw it at him out of the blue. He froze again, this time for longer.

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"A question-type question. So? Is she?" He frowned at me.

"All girls are different, Gee. None of them are any better than any of the others."  
"So this Jamia…she's not 'something else' to Willow, then, is she?" There was a hint of unintended spite in my tone. He glared at me, then his eyes widened a little.

"Where…where did you hear that?" he asked. Then I saw the realisation set in. "…Mikey…" he spat.

"No actually. Worse. Willow." He snapped his head up and stared at me.  
"What?" he gasped. "How did she-"

"She overheard your talk with Mikey. It hit her hard, Frank. Real hard." His eyes filled with sorrow. I hated seeing him look like that. But I felt like it was something he needed to know.

"Oh god…" he whimpered, sitting down on the toilet. He put his head in his hands. "I didn't mean it like THAT. Jamia IS something different. She's a different PERSON. I'd never think of Willow badly. I can't believe she took it like that…" I squatted beside him and put my arm around him.

"I know. But…Willow doesn't. I think…I think you need to have a chat with her." He stared at me.

"I can't now! Not now I know how I've made her feel!" he cried.  
"I think it's best, ya know?" I caught his gaze with my own and conveyed my thoughts through that. Finally, he nodded.

"…Ok…I'll talk to her…"


	57. DESTROYA Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh

**FRANK'S POV  
**

That evening, after Jamia had gone home, I found Willow sitting alone at the bottom of the steps by the beach. She was watching the sunset. I began to get nervous as I drew closer to her. My palms began to sweat with anticipation. Did she hate me? A sick feeling rose in my stomach. When I reached her she turned around and looked up into my face. She looked surprised.

"Oh, hey Frank," she said in false enthusiasm. I sat down beside her silently and looked out across the beach.

"I'm sorry," I said plainly.  
"What?" she asked confusedly. I turned to her, and put all my emotion into my next two words.

"I'm sorry." She looked shocked.

"Sorry for what? What have you broken now, Frank?" She chuckled uneasily, as if she knew that that was not what this was about.

"About what I said. About Jamia. I know you overheard. And I know how hard it hit you. I came to tell you I didn't mean it that way." Her eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh."

"What I meant was that Jamia something else BECAUSE she is a different PERSON. I know how it must have sounded to you… And I totally get if you hate me. I just…wanted you to know…" I went to stand up but she yanked me down.

"Oh Frank," she sighed. "You don't need to apologise. You like her, I get it. We're over…you're ALLOWED to fall for someone else." She gulped, and looked like she was trying to say more. "…Because…I have…" I sat there, confused.

"…What…? Who?" She shuffled about anxiously.

"Gerard." Even though I'd known she'd liked him, it still hurt to hear that name leave her lips. Then something occurred to me.

"…Since when?" I breathed. Her eyes widened.

"Since…since…the first day..."

**WILLOW'S POV**

There was no use trying to hide it anymore. Frank deserved to know.  
"Since…since…the first day..." I admitted. "At the party…we got together…" His eyes were round and shining.  
"You've both been creeping about for three days? Lying to me? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt you Frank! I knew how you'd take it! And now you're proving my point! I'm so sorry! We were drunk and things happened and… and then we discovered we both shared the same feelings! It was fate, Frank! I'm so sorry!" I was in floods of tears. My make-up was pouring from my eyes. Rather than stand up, scream at me and storm off like I thought he would, he reached over and pulled me into a hug. He held me close, and I breathed in that old familiar scent of coffee and cigarettes.

"We're both as bad as each other," he chuckled softly. "Both jealous and both ashamed of how we really feel. We need to get over each other. You know that, right?" I leant up and gazed into his eyes. Somewhere deep inside me, a part of me wanted to kiss him then and there, and forget about the world and all its drama. But…that was such a deeply buried thought that it didn't even occur to me as he held me in his arms. He kissed my forehead and smiled down at me.

"Are we…still friends?" I whimpered. He exhaled sharply in a sort of laugh.

"What? Why would we stop being friends? Everyone has their drama. We'd be awful shits if we let this all come between us forever." I smiled weakly at his words. Perfect, as always.

"So we'll always be friends, no matter what?"

"To the end. Do you want to go back to the house?" he asked quietly. I shook my head and stared back at the ocean.

"Let's just stay. Like this. For a little while."

**MIKEY'S POV**

I stretched out on my bed. I was bored. I missed the party vibe from the previous night. That had been amazing. I smiled at the memories and closed my eyes. The door opened and closed, so I presumed it was Jared since he was the one I was sharing a room with, yet I felt a weight on my chest and lips pressed against mine. My eyes snapped open in fear of the fact Jared could have taken a liking to me, yet I was met by the familiar, hazel eyes of my gorgeous girlfriend.

"Sup," she grinned.

"Sup," I repeated, trying hard to breathe since her entire weight was crushing my lungs. She slowly slid my glasses off and placed the on the bedside table.

"You're far too hot for your own good, Michael Way," she giggled, kissing my nose.

"Why thank you. You're not too bad yourself." She rolled her eyes and rolled off of me, but as she did she pressed her lips against mine again. Her tongue slid in next to mine and tickled the roof of my mouth. I laughed into the kiss but gasped when I felt a sly hand fiddling with my belt. Liss grinned and swiftly tugged it off, throwing it to the floor. She unzipped my jeans and slid her hand into my boxers. "Aliciaaaa!" I groaned as her fingers met my…um…YA know… We had NEVER been this far, and I wondered what had suddenly made her so…so HORNY. I was shivering with anticipation as she yanked my jeans off. I was already solid and she smirked at my large lump beneath my boxer material. She poked it and giggled, whilst I sucked in a WHOLE lotta air and bit my lip. "Alicia! Stop fucking teasing me and DO SOMETHING!" I pleaded desperately.

"Maybe I LIKE teasing you!" she winked, running her fingers over my bulge. I gasped again and my whole body tingled. I moaned softly but my moan was interrupted by a louder moan that erupted from my chest when she began kissing my neck and shoving her hand in my boxers. She began to do what I had begged her to do when the door flew open. I heard an intake of breath. There was silence. Liss froze against me.

"Um…" came an ALL-too-familiar voice. "UM….."

"Hey…hey...Gerard…" I mumbled nervously, my face a bright beetroot red and not moving my head to look at him.

"UM…I heard…noises….I'm….I'm gonna….I'm gonna go now….ok? I'm just gonna…go…" The door shut quickly but we stayed frozen. Suddenly Liss burst out into laughter and collapsed against my chest again. She then rolled off of me and patted my chest.

"I….I…My brother just…saw…Oh fuck…" I muttered. She giggled again and threw me my jeans. THAT snapped me outta my funk. "WAIT A MINUTE. You're not…you're not STOPPING are you?" I asked in a strangled voice. She nodded solemnly.

"Sorry Mikes. But the mood's gone buddy. Gone with the wind…" She motioned towards the open window, acting out the scene she had described. I groaned as she left the room, and left me, discontented, unfulfilled and damn right PISSED OFF AT MY FUCKING BROTHER.


	58. Everybody Hide Your Body!

**WILLOW'S POV**

The rest of the week flew by. Frank's tattoo began to heal; Jamia, Liss and I had had sleepovers to ourselves in our room whilst the boys spent nights playing foosball; we went to three more parties and got totally loaded; Gerard and I didn't manage to have sex again but we sure as hell were close MORE than a few times, and overall the holiday to Miami went exceedingly well. Frank, Ray and Jared never told anyone that Gerard and I were together, and I appreciated that. Frank and Jamia had also taken steps in their relationship and by the night before we were set to go home, they announced they were dating. WHICH I found worrying. They lived so far apart. I didn't want them to get hurt because of the distance. On the final night, we went to a party which I could hardly remember the next morning because I'd drunk too much. The next morning when I sat up in bed my head throbbed like a bitch. Groaning, I slumped back down and closed my heavy eyes. I lay there detesting my behaviour for about ten minutes before the door creaked open and Ray poked his head through the door.

"You up?" he asked quietly. I made a grunt and that was all, and he chuckled. He walked in and sat by my side, giving me a look that showed that he found my suffering hilarious. "Someone looks alive," he joked cruelly.

"Fuck off. I feel like absolute shit, and you know it."

"Your own fault, little lady!" He prodded my shoulder. "I saw you hide those beers behind the toaster so only YOU knew where they were!"

"I DID that? Oh God, I must have been shitfaced…"

"You really were. It wasn't attractive."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." He smirked a little and handed me a glass of water which he had brought in with him and some pain killers. I gulped them down and sighed.

"What time do we leave again?" I grimaced.

"We leave at midday. And it is now…" he checked his watch. "…10am."

"Great. Thanks Ray," I smiled.

"…Have you not even PACKED?" he said suddenly, gasping and looking about at the room. My clothes were strewn everywhere, and my suitcase lay open and empty on the floor.

"….Um…" was all I managed to say.

"Willow, we LEAVE in TWO HOURS. And LOOK at this shithole!" He gestured at the room around us.

"I'll get it done, don't worry. Just let me sleep for a little more first…" I began to drift off again.

"OH NO YOU GODDAMN DON'T!" he snapped, and I heard him cross the room and wrench the curtains open. Sunlight smacked my sore eyes with a vicious snarl and I screeched like the Wicked Witch Of The West melting.

"RAY YOU'RE AN ACTUAL ASSHOLE!" I stated, enraged. He yanked my duvet off of me and threw it to the floor.  
"GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED RIGHT NOW!" he yelled, hitting the mattress with both hands when he said "RIGHT" to accentuate his words. I kicked out at him but he grabbed my ankles and pulled me forward, nearly toppling me over the end of the bed. My head felt like hundreds of fists were pounding against the inside of my skull. I sat up and GLARED at him.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" I growled and smacked his head. He gasped and hit me with one of my socks. It stung. I pushed him. He hit me with it again. "HEY! WOAAH!" I tumbled off of the bed and hit the carpeted floor hard. He stood up and looked pleased with himself.

"Good. You're up. NOW PACK."  
"YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!" I wailed, thumping the floor with my fists. "YOU'RE A MEAN MAN RAY TORO!"  
"Yes I am."

"I hate you."

"I love you too, now come on!" I got to my feet, aggravated and my head was splitting in two. Suddenly the door flew open and Mikey and Jared came running in.

"We heard shouting! What's going on?" Mikey asked worriedly, his eyes wide.

"Nothings going on. Willow is just being a lazy ass," Ray sighed. I punched his arm. "She hasn't even PACKED yet!"

"You haven't PACKED YET?" Jared gasped, looking at the state the room was in. "RIGHT. EVERYBODY OUT. I'll deal with this!" I looked at the floor as Mikey and Ray left. Jared put his hands on his hips. "Willow, Willow, Willow," he sighed. "C'mon, I'll do this." He rolled up his sleeves and began to scoop up my clothes from the floor. "Go have a shower."  
"No I really should help-"

"GO." So with that, I entered the bathroom and jumped under the hot water. It felt good against my throbbing skull, and it woke me up a little more. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out of the bathroom. I gasped. HOW long had I been in the shower? My room was…clear? Everything was packed neatly into my suitcase.

"…Jared? How did you do that THAT fast?" I asked in awe.

"Cos I'm a ninja!" he winked, grinning, folding the last of my socks. I dropped down beside him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you Jay," I grinned. He hugged me. "Did you have a nice holiday?"

"It was awesome thanks. I know that YOU enjoyed it more than others," he grinned suggestively and poked my arm. I glared at him. He was talking about Gerard and my little "hook-up". I pushed him over and stood up, but as I did so my towel got caught on my suitcase and was pulled off of me RIGHT as Bob opened the door.

"Did you want the luggage in the – OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY I'LL LEAVE RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD WILLOW YOU'RE NAKED AND OH MY GOD." The door slammed. My face flushed a deep red and I held my recently fallen towel to my body. My eyes were wide and I was unable to speak as Jared roared with laughter.

"BOB…SAW…YOUR…TITS…!" he screamed, tears flooding from his eyes.

"I…..I…" was all I managed.

"YOUR TITS! BOB SAW THEM!" he cackled hysterically, collapsing onto my bed. I sat in silence, my voice muted by what had just happened. Jared was still laughing like the mother fucker he was, and I heard a roar of laughter erupt from down the hall. GREAT.

**GERARD'S POV**

"OH MY GOD!" I was dying. Bob had THROWN himself from her room and raced down the hall just moments before.

"WILLOW….NAKED….TITS…EVERYWHERE…!" he gasped, gesturing at her room and breathing heavy.

"What?" we all breathed.

"I WENT….IN…TO TALK TO JAY….AND…HER BOSOMS…IN MY FACE…HER TOWEL…FALLING DOWN…CAUGHT…ON CASE…." We all paused for a moment. Bob was a bright tomato red. Suddenly, we burst out into an uproar of laughter.

"OH MY GOD!" I cried, finding it hard to breathe. "BOB!" The others were pissing their pants with laughter too. Bob stood awkwardly in the centre of the room before collapsing into a chair, burying his face in his hands.

"Tits….I saw her tits…" he muttered on repeat. That just added to the hilarity of it all. I looked at Mikey who was biting his lip trying to suppress his giggles, but when our eyes met, we both burst out again.

"THAT IS…OH MY GOD…I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE…I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE…" Frank choked, gasping for air. Suddenly a door opened down the hall and a not-naked Willow walked out. We all fell silent, but let urgent giggles escape our lips. Bob flashed red again. She didn't look at us. She didn't even ACKNOWLEDGE us. She walked straight past us and into the kitchen where I heard the kettle turning on. But we'd all seen it. Her face had been as scarlet as the blood that ran through my veins.


	59. So Never Think I Made You Try To Stay

**A/N: HELLO READERS. Just wanted to say a little "hi there" because…well…because I felt like it, OK? No, seriously, thank you all SO SO SO much! I usually post my chapters just before I go to bed, and it's such an incredible feeling finding about ten reviews when I wake up in the morning. You don't know how much they mean to me. To think that I'm a part of even just ten people's lives that I don't even know makes me feel so happy. I can't describe how much I love you all. I love this story, but at one point I sat there at my laptop thinking "where do I go from here?" I was stuck. I thought that was it. But my bestie from the westie Sarah Nasser a.k.a GerardWayIsMyLife always amazes me with her awesome ideas that inspire me to write more. Sarah, I cannot thank you enough for everything. BTW if you haven't read any of Sarah's stories, head on over to her profile on this website and read 'Aftermath.' It's amazing, seriously. And review her and tell her just how marvellous she is at writing, because she never believes me! Well, I guess that this was a little more than just a "hi there", but I felt I needed to communicate with you guys a little more. Thank you for taking the time out of your lives to read my story. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show…**

**GERARD'S POV  
**  
I left the laughing group and entered the kitchen, chuckling still. She had her back to me as she was at the sink, so I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.  
"So...showing other people your tits, huh? Thought they were just for me?" I whispered in her ear. She span around and slapped my arm hard, and pulled herself from me.  
"Shut the fuck up, Gerard. Please, I don't need reminding that Robert Bryar just saw me naked."  
"C'mon, can't you see the funny side of it?" I giggled, and she glared at me.  
"No. No I can't," she spat. I sighed and brushed my lips on hers. She stood like a statue, pretending I wasn't even there. "I'm really not in the mood."  
"You're such a killjoy!" I groaned, turning to pour some coffee.  
"I smell coffee!" Mikey announced as he walked through the door. I felt bad that I hadn't told him about Willow and I yet. The whole point of keeping the relationship a secret was to keep it from Frank, but he knew now anyway and was cool with it, so what was the point anymore? But I'd have to ask Willow if she wanted to tell people first.  
"Yup, you want a cup?" I asked, stirring Willows.  
"...Duh! What kind of question IS that?" he gasped.  
**  
FRANK'S POV**

She pressed her lips against mine as her back pressed into the wall. I responded eagerly, our tongues colliding sensually. She sighed into the kiss, and I moaned slightly as her fingers traced my sides. As my hands held her face, I felt something wet on my palms. I broke the kiss apart and opened my eyes to see tears rolling down her cheeks. I gasped and pulled her into a tight hug.  
"I'll miss you," she choked softly. She brought her face back round to mine. "Your the only boy that's ever liked me. You accept me for what I am! I don't think I'll ever find anyone better than you..." She sobbed a little.  
"We'll make this work, Jamia. I promise we will!" I said, brushing the tears from her face.  
"How, Frank? The distance is too far. We say we can make it work, but think about it in the long run. We both can't afford to travel back and forth. I think...I think that if we just ended it here...it would be for the best..." Her face broke out into tears and she fell upon my chest. Tears jerked at my eyes. I'd fallen for this girl. She was amazing . And she had a point. We couldn't do this. I kissed the top of her head.  
"I'm sorry," I breathed. "I wish it wouldn't be this way."

**JARED'S POV**

"RIGHT PEOPLE! We're moving out!" I called as Bob finished loading the luggage onto the van. We'd spent the past two hours on the beach. My hair was still wet from being thrown into the sea by Bob. When Willow had walked onto the beach in her bikini, we all saw Bob redden. That had caused yet another uproar of laughter and forced Willow to wrap a towel around her in a strop.  
"Reenacting it for Bob, are we?" I choked through my laughing. She screeched and stormed off of the beach cursing at us all, and a giggling Gerard went to sort her out. She rejoined us about twenty minutes later, a pissed-off look slapped on her face and her t-shirt and shorts on.  
"Good idea on changing into that Willow. I'm not going in the sea. Its a bit too NIPPY for me..." Ray guffawed.  
"OH MY GOD SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU!" she screamed, enraged.

After the beach, we all changed and packed our cases onto the van. I called for them to come and get in, and one by one they climbed inside.

**FRANK'S POV**

I hugged her hard. I didn't want to let her go.  
"I'll never forget you," I whispered into her ear. She sniffled against my chest.  
And I'll never forget you. You've made me realise I'm not as bad as I first thought. I thought I'd never meet someone - especially not someone like you!"  
"We'll see each other again. I'll make sure of it!" I promised. I stroked her face and kissed her lips gently for the last time. With that, I turned on my heel, unable to face her anymore. I felt sick. I didn't want to leave her. I climbed into the bus, tears trickled down my cheeks. I sat in my seat and saw her standing there, her eyes shining. I raised my hand to wave but just pressed it against the glass instead. We began to drive away. I turned to look out of the back window and my eyes flooded out like an exploding dam. I watched as she disappeared into the distance, and saw as the little black dot that was Jamia crumple to the floor just as we turned the corner.

**A/N: ONE CHAPTER AWAY FROM 60. WTF HOW HAVE I WRITTEN THIS MUCH.**


	60. Kiss Me Goodbye

**OH MY GOD CHAPTER 60. OH MY GOD. I seriously never thought I'd get here! **

**MIKEY'S POV  
**

Frank stopped sniffling just as we drove out of Miami. My arm was still draped around his shoulder. Everyone else on the van was chatting to each other, and I was just gazing out of the window.

"Am I being a baby?" I heard him mumble. I turned and found him staring at me with his big brown eyes shimmering a little.

"No! I understand you met a great girl, and it's hard to leave her behind. I get where you're coming from, Frankie." I smiled slightly and hugged him, and he hugged me back harder. We drove for a couple of hours and finally pulled into the restaurant we had been to at the start of the vacation. We all stretched as we piled from the van and entered the place yawning slightly from the exhaustion of travel. A friendly waitress smiled and showed us to a table, and we slumped down into the seats. So different was this journey home to the journey to Miami. We ate and we left, we drove and clocked up the mileage. No gunfights, no crazy killer guy, just….a lot of tarmac. We FINALLY reached the motel we had stayed in before and dragged our over-tired bodies into our rooms. I collapsed on my bed and Bob onto his. We were sharing rooms like we had done when we were here last time.

"Fuck driving," Bob groaned, flexing his fingers. "It's a bitch on your hands." I made a noise that was supposed to be me agreeing but came out as more of a grunt. I was so tired. Night had fallen and somehow doing nothing – like sitting on your ass in a van all day - makes you more tired that doing something active. My eyelids were heavy, and I just thought, you know what? Fuck it. And I fell asleep without even removing my shoes.

**GERARD'S POV**

I sat on my bed, my eyes stinging. I had been woken up from a pleasant sleep in the van to move into this fucking shithole AGAIN. Frank closed the door, looked at me and sighed.

"Go to sleep if you're THAT tired!"

"I WAS asleep. And I was RUDELY awakened to come and lie down on this" I whacked the bed with my fist "PIECE OF CRAP."

"Chillax Gee, it's just one night!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"ONE NIGHT OF SHITTY SLEEP! Do you REMEMBER how uncomfortable this place was? AND STILL FUCKING IS?" I hit the bed again and dust flew up into my nose making me cough incessantly. Tears streamed from my eyes as Frank whacked my back hard to help me out. When I could finally breathe, I stood up, stamped my foot, screeched and left the room. I had no more to do in such a shitty crappy ARGH MOTHER FUCKING ROOM. Slamming the door I took a deep breath in…and blew out. Whipping my cigarette box out from my jean pocket, I walked downstairs and out to the front the motel. I regretted not grabbing my jacket. Shivering, I lit up and inhaled the smoke, sighing with relief as it washed through my body. Huddling into the corner between the door and the wall, I puffed away, admiring the night sky. It was a clear night, so I could see all the stars up above. I smiled. Suddenly, there was a scream from somewhere nearby. I froze. There was a scuffle and a shriek from around the corner and I heard someone groan. I didn't know what to do. I went to go inside but I couldn't bring myself to not see what was going on. I crept behind a car and peered around the side. I gasped. A girl was on the ground, trying to pick herself up. A man towered over her and kicked her down again.  
"GIVE ME THE PURSE!" he growled.  
"No I fucking won't!" she spluttered and managed to jump to her feet. She punched him square in the nose and he toppled sideways slightly but remained standing. He roared and flew at her. But I had darted around to the car closest to them and threw myself at him. He never saw it coming. Neither did she. She screamed as the guy collided with the wall behind her. His face smashed into it with a sickening crunch. He fell to the ground in a presumed state of sub-conscious and we both stared at him. I didn't even know HOW I'd got the courage to do that. I felt…powerful. The girl gasped and I glanced at her.  
"We'd better get out of here!" I gasped, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the motel.  
"Oh my god!" she breathed. "Thanks!" She wiped blood from her lip.

"….Anytime….I guess?" I was still in shock as to my actions. I'd just….saved someone? She threw her arms around me.

"That was fucking frightening! I thought I was…A goner…. I guess…you're my hero?" she said. She pulled away and I finally saw her face. She was…stunning. Her wide brown eyes blinked at me. They reminded me of Frank's. She had long black hair too, like Willow's, but it was tied up in pigtails. "Do you have a superhero name?" Was she being serious?

"Um…."

"Dude, I'm kidding. Do you actually have A name?"

"Yeah….Gerard Way."

"Well Gerard Way, I don't really know how to thank you for that. I don't know what might have happened." Suddenly she leant up and kissed my lips softly. She quickly backed away and blushed. "I have to go now. I only went out to get my purse from the car when that guy cornered me. Right now, I need my mum and dad." Her eyes shimmered with tears. "Thank you Gerard. For saving my life." With that, she turned on her heel and ran up the stairs.

"Wait!" I called. "What's your name?" But I was too late. She was gone. I was left standing there for a moment or two, wondering what the fuck had just happened, when Willow stepped out from beside the staircase. I nearly shit myself. "HOLY CRAP!" I cried. "You scared the living SHIT outta me!" I clutched my racing heart and she put her hands on her hips.

"Kissing other women are we?" she growled. I froze again. My eyes widened.

"Wait…I can explain…I…" Suddenly, her face smiled.

"Oh Gerard. I overheard the conversation and got the gist of what you had done. You're amazing, you know that?" She cupped my face in her hands and brought my lips to hers, kissing me gently. I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Well…I mean, I do TRY…" I chuckled, winking. It was then I remembered the guy outside. He could be awake at any moment and then he'd try and find me and – "I think we'd better go upstairs," I said hurriedly, and she nodded. We ran up, and I was checking over my shoulder the entire time.

**If you haven't guessed who the girl is yet, no worries. She'll be in this story again…sometime…maybe not for a while…but…she'll fall into place….**


	61. Way Home

**A/N: To those people who guessed Lindsey…yeah, I guess you're right! But for those freaking over this fact… DO NOT FEAR! She will not appear til way in the future…WAYYY in the future! Don't worry about ickle Willow and Gerard! Ok, now go read. Please xD**

**GERARD'S POV**

"And then she just ran off?" Mikey pressed, staring at me. They all were. We were packed into mine and Frank's room after they'd found out about what had happened. I told them everything.  
"Yeah! It was all so weird!" I was still stunned a little at what had happened. I was perched on my bed, and Mikey, Frank, Liss and Jared were all sitting on the floor before me. Ray and Bob were leaning against the wall. Willow was sitting beside me.

"You're a hero!" Frank squeaked and waved his arms about wildly. I blushed.

"Well…I mean…I only…"

"…Probably saved a girls life! Shit Gee!" Mikey intercepted, cutting me off. "I'm so proud of you, bro!" He stood up and hugged me. When he let go, they all yawned. "I need to go back to sleep…I'm really tired…" Mikey grumbled, shuffling out of the door. "Night everyone!" They all left gradually, and when Frank went into the bathroom, Willow kissed me good night. She left the room and I lay on my bed staring up at the smoke-stained ceiling. I'd saved her life? Wow. A smile spread across my face. Frank exited the bathroom and saw my fumbling grin.

"You're so proud of yourself, aren't ya?" he laughed, patting my knee as he walked past to go to his bed.

"You bet I am! I was such a ninja." Frank snorted and began laughing.

"HA! I totally just got images of you dressed like a ninja!" he giggled. "Doing all your little ninja moves!" He got up and started slashing at the air with his hands and jumping around the room. I rolled my eyes.

"You're such a freak."

"Aw, you're too kind!" he gushed, blowing me a kiss.

"Too kind? Fine. You're a short little midget who totally fails at ninja moves. Better?" I grinned at him evilly. He stopped, glared at me and pointed his finger accusing.  
"You can NOT bring my height into this! I am NOT fucking SHORT!" he growled. I stood up and walked over to him, where I pressed my chest against his. He was frozen. I stared down my nose at him.  
"As I said. You're a short little midget." He gasped and pushed me away.

"OH. OHHHH THAT WAS A LOW BLOW. A FUCKING LOW BLOW. YOU'RE A DICK." He clenched his fists.

"Aw, you're too kind!" I repeated mockingly, and flung myself into the bathroom, cackling to myself.

**FRANK'S POV**

The covers were yanked off of me and I jolted awake.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" I cried, lashing out with my fists.

"Woah, Ninja Midget, you could hit someone with those!" I heard him chuckle. STUPID GODDAMN SHORTNESS WHY CAN'T I BE TALLER.

"I'M NOT A MIDGET!" I spat, rubbing my eyes.

"Get up! We're leaving in ten minutes!"

"WHAT THE FUCK TEN MINUTES IS NOT ENOUGH TIME! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?" I screeched. I didn't have time to get ready!

"Because I wanted to watch you squirm," he smirked evilly.

"You're being mean to me…" I muttered angrily, pouting my bottom lip out.

"I know!" he replied cheerfully. I rushed to get changed and ignored Gerard the entire time. The clock read 6am. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"You guys ready?" Ray called.

"Yeah!" Gerard yelled back. Thankfully I had managed to dress myself at lightening speed, and we left the shitty motel once and for all.  
"Why so grumpy-looking?" Jared asked.  
"Gerard's a dick," I grunted.

"Oh. What did he do?"

"He was mean to me Jared," I whimpered, and pouted again.

"AWWWW POOR BABY!" he cried and threw his arms around me. He stroked my hair. Gerard walked past. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO THIS POOR THING! YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!" I pouted even more as Gerard looked at my face.

"Awww did I upset the lickle one?" he said in a cutesy voice. I flipped him the finger and broke apart from Jared.

"WHAT is your problem? WHY are you being SO ANNOYING?" I snarled.

"Cos it's funny!" he laughed and climbed into the van. I pulled a face and climbed in after him.  
"Sometimes I hate you," I mumbled.

"I know."

We travelled for what seemed like forever. It was gonna be eight hours. Eight FUCKING hours to get home. We pulled into gas stations, though we were wary now because there could always be a scary gunman running riot; Gerard sang a little; but mainly we just sat and stared out of the window.

"My ass is numb," Jared announced, shifting in his chair.

"Same here," Mikey groaned.

"Thanks for sharing that, guys…" Willow sighed. "Don't worry; we'll be home in an hour." Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.

***IN AN HOUR SHE SAID? MORE LIKE FIVE MORE HOURS COS OF FUCKING TRAFFIC***

"Frankie…" came a far-away voice. "Fraaaaankie….."

"Mmmm" I replied from my dream.

"Frankie, we're home…" Someone was shaking my shoulder gently. I began to wake, and when I blinked my eyes, Gerard's face was inches from mine. "Evenin' sleepy head. C'mon, we're back!" He slipped his arm around my back and helped me out of the van. I stepped out into the cool New Jersey air and breathed in that old familiar scent.

"Home sweet home," I sighed happily and dozily. Mum was there, and she hugged me.

"Welcome home darling. Let's get you into bed, hmm? Then you'll be nice and fresh in the morning." I nodded and waved goodbye to my friends. We crossed the street where my dad stood waiting on the porch.

"Hey kiddo, have a good time?" He patted my back as I walked through the door.

"Yeah, it was awesome!" I smiled. I found my way to my room and collapsed onto my bed. I kicked off my jeans and pulled off my t-shirt, and snuggled down under the covers. Although the sun had only just set on the NJ skyline, my eyelids drooped and there I was again, on the beach, her hand in mine, and nothing but she and I, and a sunlit horizon.


	62. Hold Your Heart Into This Darkness

**A/N: This is the shortest chapter I have ever done. If you hate short chapters…well…deal with it xD **

***3 DAYS LATER***

**WILLOW'S POV**

Browsing the video games, I heard a familiar voice call my name. I glanced up, and lo and behold, the Fro and his human companion strode up to me.

"Howdy partner," I said happily as I hugged him.

"What are you doing here on your own?" he asked.

"Boredom. Jay's visiting his parents so I drove over here. What are YOU doing here by yourself?"

"New GameCube game out today!" He pointed at the many advertisments around the store. "Mario Kart! HAD to get myself a copy." He winked at me. He bought his game and we left the store together. "How about a coffee?" he suggested, gesturing at Starbucks. I nodded eagerly. I had just settled down with my steaming cup when a wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Scuse me!" I cried, throwing my hand to my mouth and dashing to the restrooms. I flung myself into a cubicle and threw up violently. Thank GOD the restroom was empty. I threw up again. I was shaking and sweating like mad. What the hell? That was so sudden! No warning signs, no nothing! I had felt fine in the queue for my coffee. I threw up again. Ugh. The stall door opened and Ray knelt down beside me. He held my hair and rubbed my back.

"It's ok sweetheart. Let it all out," he cooed. But as quickly as it had started, it stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief and flushed the toilet. I leant against the wall. "You ok?" Ray asked worriedly, his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah…NOW I'm fine…Like, completely fine…What the HELL?" I stared at the toilet. Ray stared at me.

"…You good to go?" he asked.

"…Yeah…" He helped me to my feet.

"I would offer to take you home…but I can't drive anymore…"

"I'll drive. But will you…will you come with me?" I was scared. That had been so strange. What if I was dying? We left the mall and climbed into my Mustang. The entire journey home he was glancing at me, worry all over his face. "I'm FINE, " I kept reassuring him. But he wasn't buying it. And to tell the truth…neither was I.

I closed the door to the apartment.

"I'll make some coffee, ok?" he said, going into the kitchen. I collapsed on the sofa. The last hour ran through my head. Had I eaten something bad? Something was nagging at the back of my mind. Something important. Ray placed the cup before me. The smell hit me and the same nausea washed over me again.

"Crap, not again!" I groaned and ran to the toilet. I puked hard. Ray was once more at my side, holding my hair and rubbing my heaving back. The sickness passed quickly. I sat back, whimpering.

"Right, that's it. I'm taking you to the hospital," he said defiantly.

"No…" I almost whispered. The thing that had been nagging me in the depths of my mind suddenly wrenched itself to the centre of my thoughts. My head spun. Miami…drunk…Gerard…sex. "Shit," I sobbed. Almost instinctively, my hands fell and clutched my stomach. "Ray…" Tears dropped from my eyes thick and fast. No…I couldn't be…It wasn't true…But the likelihood…It was inevitable… He pulled me into a hug and I bawled into his shoulder. "No no no!" I repeated over and over. He pulled my face round to his. His eyes were full of shock and anxiousness. He had guessed. He stroked my face.

"…I think…" I gulped, shuddering uncontrollably, "…I'm…

…

_pregnant_."

**A/N: Told you it was short. But I think the end made up for that, right? ;D**


	63. The Hardest Part Of This Is Leaving You

**WILLOW'S POV**

The front door slammed. Ray ran back into the bathroom where I still remained on the tiled floor, my knees brought to my chest and tears staining my face. He dropped down beside me and held out the small box which held the item which would determine my fate.  
"Whatever this says, you have to know that I am here for you. I always will be. I always have been," he whispered. I dropped my head onto his chest.

"Thank you," I replied softly. We sat together for a while, in silence. His heartbeat drummed in my ear. He squeezed me tightly. "I…I think I'm ready…" I croaked. He nodded and left the room. I shook as I removed the pregnancy test from the box. Tears were welling up in my eyes already. _You're fine. You're fine. You're not pregnant _was what I kept telling myself. I pulled down my pants and did what the instructions told me to do. I had to wait a minute for the result. A minute of pure and utter hell. What would I do if it was positive? How would I cope? I squeezed the test in my hand, praying, pleading that it was negative. A minute passed. Very slowly, I looked at the reading. I felt faint.

"No…" I breathed. My head was spinning. I let the test drop to the floor and slid down the wall into a crumpled ball. I held my face in my hands and sobbed. "No…no…no…" I whimpered. Ray obviously heard me and the door opened. Without a word, and without even looking at the test on the floor, he knew. He sat beside me again, and pulled me into his lap. I shuddered against his chest. My life as I knew it was changed forever. Inside me there was something that was going to grow and become a tiny human being. I couldn't deal with that fact. I didn't know what to do, what to think, how to _feel. _My body was numb. Everything I had built up with these people – these _wonderful wonderful _people around me – was it over? Could I put the burden of a new born baby into their lives? Could I do that to Gerard? He was set to have a career in art or music and I knew in my heart of hearts that he was going to make something of himself. He was going to be something special. I couldn't those opportunities away from him. I'd destroy any chances he had at making it in the world. My heart hit rock bottom.  
_…_

_I knew what I had to do._

"…Ray…" I mumbled.

"Yes?" he replied stroking my hair.

"I think I'm gonna go now…"

"Ok, let's get you out of here then," he said, beginning to help me to my feet. I shook my head, not getting up and avoiding his gaze.

"No. I mean go. Away from here. I have to leave this place… this town… I need… I need my dad!" I burst into tears again. He sank to his knees.

"Willow!" he choked, his eyes brimming. "Willow you c-can't leave us!"

"I'm sorry Ray! I'm sorry but I can't do this to Gerard! To anyone! If I go now, he'll never know about this. You can't tell him! Please I'm beggi-"

"You aren't leaving! I won't let you!" he growled suddenly, cutting me off.

"Promise me you won't tell him Ray!" I pleaded, ignoring him.

"Willow you-"

"PROMISE ME!"

"You're no going, you can't! I'll-" I grabbed his wrists and clenched them tightly. I stared him in the eyes hard as sobs emitted from us both. My throat burned from crying so much. His face looked so devastated that I found it difficult to speak my words.

"Please Ray. Please. I can't stay anymore. Not now. I need to leave for Gerard's sake. Now promise me, PROMISE me you WON'T tell him, or anyone! Tell him that it's for the best! I'm asking you to do this for me, as a friend!" I collapsed onto his chest again and he held me close.

"What can I do to make you stay?" he breathed. "We can't lose you. You're part of our…of our family. We can make it through this. All of us. We'll help you. I'm sure Gerard will see the light. He loves you so much."  
"Promise me," I whispered. It was silent for a long while. Finally I heard a sigh of defeat.

"…I…I p-promise," he managed through his tears. "I'll never tell a soul."  
"I'll miss you Ray," I sniffled.

"I'll miss you too Willow," he breathed sadly.

"I…I think I need some time alone…" He nodded.

"Ok…just…just call me, ok? I'll walk home." He left me, and finally, I was alone in the apartment. I picked up the phone and sank onto the sofa. After the third ring, he answered.

"Hello?"

"…Daddy?" I choked, the sobs in my chest building. My eyes were filling with tears.

"Willow? Baby are you ok?"

"Daddy I need you!" I let the crying commence. He listened as I poured it all out to him. Everything. And I told him what I planned to do. When I finally stopped, he took a deep breath in.

"Of course I don't judge you my darling. Look, don't be afraid. I'll collect you from the airport. I'll be waiting with open arms. I'll never shut you out of my life, I don't know why you ever thought I would. We'll work this out together, ok?" My lower lip trembled.  
"I love you daddy," I bawled.

"I love you too sweetheart. And you're coming home when?"

"…Tonight if I can get a ticket."

"Ok. Call me later."

"Thank you dad."

"Any time." I put the phone down. Quickly I searched online and found that there was a flight to California at 5pm and there were five seats on the plane left available. I bought one and sat back. I'd done it fast so there was no time for me to reconsider. And now….this was it. I was leaving them. Leaving them all. Everything that I'd gone through with them and I'd probably never see them again. I shuffled into my room and collapsed onto my bed. I hugged my pillow. I thought back to when I'd first met them – a bunch of outcast kids who were happy and stupid and reckless. When I'd seen them all at the lunch table – the afro, the short kid, the geek and the vampire – little did I know that they were the people who were going to become my very best friends. Not to mention that two of them would be people I'd loved more than anything. I laughed gently as I recalled my sleepover where we'd dressed Gerard as a girl. And the time when I'd booked them their first gig and the excitement all over their faces. When we'd spent New Years Eve cooped up in my room and rocked out at the Black Flag concert. There were so many amazing memories. And now…now it was….over? All of that… I clutched at my pounding heart. I sat up and took a deep breath. I needed to go soon. Just escape before anyone found out. Pansy caught my eye in the corner. She was too big for me to take with me. Should I have Jared send it over when I got to California? I sat for awhile, contemplating. No. There was someone who loved her more. Someone who deserved her and would treat her right. I sat at my desk and pulled out a scrap of paper. I took a pen and wrote a small _'For Frankie' _on the paper. I proceeded in sticking the paper to Pansy and kissing her on her fret board.

"I'll miss ya old girl," I half chuckled, half sobbed. I then grabbed another piece of paper and my hand shook as I jotted down my goodbye. My tears blotted onto the page and stained it. It hit me just what and how much I was saying goodbye to. I placed the letter inside an envelope, and then wrote one to Gerard. Oh…Gerard… My hand shook so much that I dropped the pen a few times. My heart ached terribly. But it was for the best. I HAD to keep telling myself it was for the best. Once the note was written, I put it in the envelope along with the other letter. I walked slowly and lay the envelope on my bed. I grabbed my suitcase from my closet and threw my drawers open. I yanked out all the clothes I could and just stuffed them in. I didn't have time to allow myself to talk myself out of what I was doing. I couldn't just put this on hold. The baby wasn't just going to go _away. _I snatched up my toiletries from the bathroom and pushed them in. I picked up odd bits and bobs that I would require and soon my suitcase was overflowing. I just about managed to zip it up. I hauled it out into the hall and stood by the door. Just….stood. And had flashbacks of everyone I was leaving. Every_THING_ I was leaving. I knew in my heart of hearts that I'd never make friends as good as those ever again. But I couldn't bring them down with me. And I wasn't just going to get an abortion. I'd never take away a human life. I would raise this baby and give it all the love it deserved and more. I wouldn't judge it for making me leave my family behind. _The baby _was my family now. My hands rubbed my stomach. I felt like such a bitch, leaving them all like this. But it was for the best.

_It was for the best._


	64. I Hate The Ending Myself

**GERARD'S POV**

The doorbell rang. Sighing, I put down my paint brush and shuffled to the door. When I opened it, I gasped. Ray stood on the door step, his face displaying an immense amount of sadness. His eyes were shimmering.  
"Ray?" I asked worriedly, throwing my arms around him.  
"I...I...Willow...she...she said she's leaving!" I froze and backed away, confused.  
"...What?"  
"She...she's going, Gerard. To live...with her dad!"  
"Why?" I began to feel dizzy and confused.  
"She just said it was..." he looked as though the next few words would hurt him to say. "...for the best..." Without another word to him, I picked up the phone and called everyone. Soon they were all gathered at my house and anxiety and fright were etched across each and every face.  
"Look, let's all go and see what this is about, ok?" I ordered, and we clambered into all the cars we owned.

We crashed into the flat.  
"Willow?" I cried out desperately. There was no response.  
"Will?" Jared called out. "Will, stop being silly and come out!" The silence was choking and somewhat deafening. My eyes were stinging. Ray couldn't have been serious. She wouldnt leave! Why would she leave? We darted about until there was a cry from Willow's room.  
"Guys? Guys...oh god..." Frank whimpered. We dashed to her room and found him crumpled on the floor beside Pansy, holding a small piece of paper. 'For Frankie', it read. Suddenly, I noticed how barren her room was. A drawer that was usually shut and full of clothes was open and empty. I dropped to my knees. She was gone.  
"Why?" I croaked. It wasn't aimed at anyone in the room. It was aimed at the bottomless void she had left behind. What had been the reason for this sudden decision?  
"There...There's a note..." Mikey whispered. I glanced up through shining eyes at my baby brother holding a white envelope. "Who's gonna read it?" No one spoke for a second.  
"...I will..." muttered Ray, raising his hand. Mikey, trembling, handed it over. Ray prised it open and shakily teased the letter out. He cleared his throat and in a strangled voice he read:

_To you all,_

_I cannot thank you enough for being such incredible friends. I know you're going to be mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye properly, and without giving you a fair reason. The thing is, don't blame yourselves. You haven't scared me away. You've done nothing wrong. I love you all so much it hurts. I'm going to miss you endlessly. I get if you're confused and worried about me, but believe me when I say that I'm safe and I'm going to be alright. This is so hard, writing this. I don't know where to begin to tell you how much you all mean to me. You are my world, my stars, my EVERYTHING. You've provided me with so many fantastic memories and that is something that will never change. The past. I will never forget you. _

_Willow. _

The room was a mess of sobs. No one could understand. What? Why? She'd just…left us. Left ME.  
"Gerard...there's a note for you..." Ray said softly. My head snapped up as he passed it to me. 

_Dear Gee,_

_Please don't be mad at me. I know you will be. I love you, and that's all you can know. I can't tell you why I'm leaving. I'll never regret anything. I promise. I'll never regret the cause of my leaving, because I'm sure it will be beautiful. I know it will. You won't understand this, I know. _

_Gerard Way, you are perfect. You're going to make a girl so happy one day that she'll be willing to die for you – I know I was. But…something's changed. Something big. And…I can't put you through it. Any of you. It would be so unfair. There's one thing I know, and that is that one day, you're going to make it big. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but one day, you're gonna make a huge difference, be it to one person or one million. I just have this…feeling. And that's why I can't stay. I can't prevent that happening. I don't want to be a burden. I love you so much, but can I ask you one favour? …Get over me. Please. Don't mope and do something stupid. I'm not coming back, so get over me as soon as possible. Forget me. _

_I love you._

_Willow._

"Well...?" Mikey breathed.

"...Its...just... a sad song," I growled, the note quivering in my livid palms. "With NOTHING to say! This obviously never meant nothing to her! I don't care how much she apologises! This is bullshit! She can't even get the guts to say what's wrong! She doesn't have the guts to say that she doesn't love me like she did yesterday! All this stuff she's written about loving me? IT'S ALL SHIT. If she DID love me, she wouldn't leave without even giving me a fucking valid reason! She didn't even say goodbye! We've been through worse than whatever this could be before! Doesn't she believe in us anymore?" I felt faint, unable to believe what was happening. She had...gone? Betrayal pierced me like a thousand knives. She'd said she'd loved me... Had she lied? How could she? Tears finally spilled from my eyes and I sobbed heavily. Mikey collapsed beside me and his face was devastated. He wrapped his arms tightly around me. No one spoke - no one had anything to say. No one knew WHAT to say. She was gone from our lives and no one knew why. I wrenched myself to my feet and threw myself into the kitchen. I grabbed a beer and glugged it down my throat. When it finished, I grabbed another…and another… I began to numb. I slid onto the floor into a fetal position with a beer bottle in my hand. I needed to escape. I knew that this was a way to block out all the bad noise. All the sorrow. I missed her already. It suddenly felt as though she'd been gone forever. My beautiful girl. And her enchanting icy blues.

***TWELVE YEARS LATER***

**THE FIRST LIVE BLACK PARADE CONCERT**

The stage lit up. Thousands of wide, eager eyes stared up at me like they did every night. Screams erupted from their gaping mouths as I put the microphone to my lips. The music began to play, and I began to sing.

_Well,__when you go__  
__Don't ever think I'll make you try to stay__  
__And maybe when you get back__  
__I'll be off to find another way___

_And after all this time that you still owe__  
__You're still a good-for-nothing I don't know__  
__So take your__gloves__and get out__  
__Better get out while you can___

_When you go__would you even turn to say__  
__"I don't love__you like__I did yesterday"?___

_Sometimes I cry so hard from pleading__  
__So sick and tired of all the needless beating__  
__But baby__when they__knock you down and out__  
__It's where you oughta stay___

_Well after all the blood that you still owe__  
__Another dollar's just another blow__  
__So fix your eyes and get up__  
__Better get up while you can, whoa whoa___

_When you go__would you even turn to say__  
__"I don't love__you like__I did yesterday"?__  
__Well come on, come on!___

_When you go__would you have the guts to say__  
__"I don't love__you like__I loved you yesterday"?___

_I don't love__you like__I loved you yesterday__  
__I don't love__you like__I loved you yesterday_

It was the first time we'd played the song live. And it was the first time I felt like I'd finally, _finally _let her go.


	65. From Sky High To Rock Bottom

***TWELVE YEARS PREVIOUSLY***

**FRANK'S POV**

I couldn't comprehend anything. The room was a blur. Pansy lay in my shaking hands. PANSY. She'd GIVEN me her guitar. She had KNOWN. She'd known how much I'd loved it. I stroked her fret board and closed my eyes, causing more tears to drip from my lashes onto my cheeks.

_I hastily went to pick it up but someone got there before me._

"_Here," Frank said as he placed the pick into my hand. I quickly clenched it tight so I wouldn't lose it again._

"_Thanks," I replied, zipping up my bag and tucking the pick into the inside pocket._

"_No problem. Hey, do you play?" he inquired. I slung my bag over my back and we began walking together._

"_I used to, but ever since I found out about my parents deciding to separate, I just turned my back on it. My dad bought me my guitar and if I played it again it would be like accepting his many apologies. And that's something I'll never do. I'll never forgive him." Frank patted my shoulder._

"_He hurt you bad, didn't he? I'm sorry he made you go through so much shit. And by the way, I would love to hear you play." _

I opened my eyes. Where had she run to? Where was she hiding?

"Oh Willow… What's happened to you?" I mumbled softly under my breath. What could have been so wrong to make her just get up and go? I sank further down into myself. I strummed Pansy delicately, and that catalysed the downward spiral that hit me then and there. She really _was_ gone.

**MIKEY'S POV**

Her sheets still smelled like her. Even though she hadn't been gone for long, the thought of thinking I'd never see her again made it feel like she had died or something. I was lying on her bed, re-reading the note. I was so…confused. What had HAPPENED? No answer would come to my mind. The fact that she was gone just like THAT was shocking. I heard Frank sniffing in the corner and couldn't bear to look at him. I knew how hard this had hit us all. He strummed Pansy. Then I heard a small thump and a large amount of sobbing. Now I HAD to look. I span around and saw him with his face buried in his hands. His shoulders were heaving. I gasped and jumped off of the bed. I crumpled down beside him and we held each other.  
"She's gone Mikey!" he bawled. "And we don't even know why!" His face was pressed against my chest. I felt his tears soak through to my skin.  
"I k-know Frankie…" I sniffled. My lower lip trembled and I burst into tears again. He groped at my shirt, trying to find something to hold onto, to keep him together, but it wasn't working. I couldn't even – oh _god…_ I broke down too.

**JARED'S POV**

I needed to go after her. She couldn't leave me like this. She hadn't even told me. How could she not have told ME? I felt betrayed. I sat on the toilet lid and shook all over. What had she done?

**RAY'S POV**

I was the only one who knew the truth. It was eating me up inside so badly. I felt that they all DESERVED to know. But…I'd promised. And it wasn't just a little thing. This whole ordeal she would be going through would be HUGE. I sat on the sofa, just staring into space. Willow was really gone. She'd told me she'd wanted to be alone just so she could have the opportunity to leave. I should have stayed with her. I should have told her that I wouldn't take no for an answer. But no, being the stupid softy that I was, I walked out of that front door and let her get away. I growled and hit the table with my fist, sending pain searing into my knuckles. But I didn't care. I felt responsible for not making her stay.

**GERARD'S POV**

I felt sick. Really, really sick. Not just from the alcohol, but from the pain in my heart. It felt as though it had been ripped from my chest. I wobbled as I pulled myself to my feet. About eight beer bottles were at my feet. And they were all empty. The room swirled around me. I took a step and nearly fell over. I took another step and my foot disappeared beneath me. I was out of my mind with alcohol. I grabbed out for something to stop myself from falling and caught hold of the table cloth. It didn't help anything. I just fell to the floor and brought down a whole lot of glasses and plates with me. The smashed all over the floor in a gigantic crash, and I was suddenly surrounded by my friends. They sat down beside me and I gestured for a group hug.

"Gerard don't do this to yourself," Frank warned through his sobs into my shoulder.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get over her. To forget this fucking pain in my goddamn chest. She's gone Frankie, and I don't think she's ever coming back." I stammered the last few words and realised that I still wasn't out of it enough. "Pass me another beer." They all shook their heads. "PASS ME ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKING BEER! DO YOU WANT ME TO GET DEPRESSION?" Reluctantly, Jared conked open another bottle. I gulped it down. I breathed out when the bottle was finally empty. I let it drop to the floor with a clatter. I sank against Frank's chest and he held me tight. This was only the beginning – from now on in, it was gonna be sky high to rock bottom for Gerard Arthur Way.


	66. The End

**A/N: Well guys and gals, this is it. The FINAL chapter of The Chemical And Romantical High School Years. Wow. That was hard to type. REALLY hard. To say goodbye to these characters – to these LIVING people that exist inside my head – it's like waving your child goodbye when they're old enough to leave home. I can't explain to you how much joy this story has brought me writing it, and to know that there are people out there who love it and are begging me for more. It gives me what I need to write what I do. To know I'm appreciated. Thank you all for being so monumentally wonderful. This story wouldn't be the same without you. I just want to send out a special thank you to Sarah a.k.a. GerardWayIsMyLife, who has been with me since the beginning. I honestly can't take credit for all of the ideas in this story. She's the one whose been there urging me on, and flooding me with amazing ideas. So thank you Sarah. For being the other author to this fanfiction. You may not have actually written it, but hell, there's a ton of your shit in here xD Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this. I sure did. If you've been reading this but haven't left a review yet, it would be amazing if you left one now, to tell me what you think. It can even be just a one word review! Anything, and I'll be over the moon. But before I leave you to read this one last chapter – don't worry. This isn't the end. **

**WHAT YOU THOUGHT I'D JUST LEAVE THEM?**

**No. **

**There will most likely be a sequel to this story, which the first chapter I will put as the epilogue to this story. But I…I'm afraid to say that…this is the last time you guys will get to see the boys and girls as teenagers. I'm sorry. This is so so so hard for me. They're my babies :'3 But there's going to be more, so do not fret. I already have it plotted out. Some of you may like it, some of you may not. Fans of certain people may despise it. But IDC. So what are you waiting for? GET THE FUCK ON AND READ THIS SHIZZ. Don't let me keep you. **

**One more thing….**

**THANK YOU. Oops, did I say that already? **

**Xoxo**

**JazzHandedBatman a.k.a. cjclark a.k.a. Chloe :3**

**WILLOW'S POV**

I sat down in my plane seat and put my head against the wall. My heart was so low I couldn't even describe it. I gazed out of the window at the men working on the ground below. A boy not much older than I was walking down the aisle, and looking between his ticket and the seat numbers. He stopped at my row of seats and blushed a little.  
"This seat taken?" he asked, smiling. I shook my head and he put his bag in the compartment above our heads. He had brown curly hair that was cropped at his ears cutely. His eyes were also big and brown, and from what I could see, they were full of kindness and fun. He sat beside me and neither of us spoke for a while. The plane began taxiing to the runway.  
"I'm Trevor," he announced finally, holding out his hand and grinning in a friendly fashion.  
"Willow," I replied, shaking it. I tried to seem as happy as possible, but it didn't work.  
"Are you ok?" he asked. I hesitated. I needed to get it out of my system. My sorrow was building up inside me and destroying me from the inside. My heart was shrinking smaller and smaller. What I was going to reply was "I'm fine," but instead what spilled from my mouth was everything. I didn't even know the guy and I told him everything. My friends, Miami, Gerard... And the pregnancy. He listened intently and I knew he was probably judging me, thinking I was some partying diva who got knocked up when she was drunk. But when I finally finished, when my tears were spilling from my eyes so hard it hurt my throat, he pulled me into a huge hug and stroked my hair.  
"You've had a tough time haven't you?" he said softly. "Heck, I hardly know you, but I live in California, so if you ever need anything, or anyone, I'm here for you. I'll give you my number, and if you just need someone to talk to, give me a call, ok?" I nodded and couldn't believe he was being so kind. When we departed the plane and exchanged numbers, it wasn't the last time we'd see each other. He'd offered to be there if I needed anything. Turns out I needed a lot of things. A shoulder to cry on. A person to talk about everything to. A friend. Trevor was all of those things. Trevor helped me through my pregnancy. So did Jared. He moved to California after a few weeks of me leaving. He lived with my dad, his girlfriend and I. I told Jared not to tell me about what I'd left behind, and he kept his promise. But there were things I knew he was hiding – bad things. I could see it in his face. The accusation. He was angry with me at first. He couldn't believe that I'd just up and left. But when he made me cry because of how much I'd hurt people, he begged for forgiveness. He was really depressed because he thought he'd hurt ME really badly. It was a dark time for our relationship. But in the end we fell into each others arms and apologised incessantly. We knew we'd never leave each other. I loved him too much. And it turned out that he and Trevor got on well. REALLY WELL. We all ended up moving into a block of flats together. They were nearly always in my apartment though. They basically lived there with me, even though they owned an apartment just across the hall. He was there when Gerard and my babies were born into the world. Our twins. Our angels.


	67. Epilogue

**A/N: This will be the first chapter to my sequel. I have no idea what to call the sequel yet, but I'll think of something :P Anyhoo, this chapter is set about a year after The Black Parade was released. In about 2007. But after this chapter I go back in time to Revenge era I think :P Anyway, here we gooooo….. :D**

***THIRTEEN YEARS LATER***

The crowd below the stage was roaring for their band. The stage was pitch black and silent. Willow Rush stood at the back of the moshing, one hand taking residency in a young teenage girls palm, whose jet black hair sat prettily on her shoulders. A boy of the same age was bouncing on his heels, his face full of absolute excitement. He too had black hair, which hung over his face a little. He was trying to pretend his mum wasn't there as he was severely confused as to why she had decided to come along with them to this gig. Sure, he knew she liked the band too, but he didn't realise quite how much. Suddenly there was noise from on stage and the two thirteen year olds and their mother took an intake of expectant breath before screaming along with the thousands of other people in the stadium. Well, the children screamed. Willow stood back a little and watched the stage light up.

_Now come one, come all to this tragic affair._

A spotlight fell upon a hospital bed as a voice Willow had not heard first-person for fourteen years began to sing.

_Wipe off that make up what's in is despair._

_So throw on the black dress, mix in with the lot,_

He sat up and Willow tingled. Tears brushed her eyes. There he was again. Right before her. And with no idea just _who_ was in his audience.

_You might wake up and notice your something your not._

Raven's hand slipped out of hers. Willow glanced down and Raven darted over to her brother.

"Zee, let's go!" she whispered in his ear. He nodded and took quick look back at his mum. He eyes were transfixed to the stage. Taking his sisters hand, Zander and Raven shot through the crowd and ploughed their way to the front. Willow gasped and went to run after them, but held back. What if Gerard saw her?

_Save meee…_

'Dead!' kicked in and the crowd threw themselves about wildly. She was scared now. What if Zee and Raven got squashed or trampled? She'd never get through this crowd to find them! Meanwhile, Zee and Raye squeezed and shoved their way to the iron railings and wheezed as they got pushed against them. But it was worth it. They were now only metres from their hero's. My Chemical Romance was one of the things that brought the twins together. It was the fondness and love for this band that brought them closer. Usually they'd keep to themselves and their friends…but right here…right now…this was what brought out their relationship. Music. This music. Gerard Way was going crazy on stage singing and Frank Iero was already on the floor with his guitar. Frank was Zee's inspiration to practice and learn guitar. He was his idol. Gerard walked to the front of the stage and they both took in a gasp. He could lean down and touch them if he really wanted to – he was that close. Raye met the lead singers gaze and he smiled down at her, making her blush. He suddenly frowned slightly, but continued singing and staring at her. Then, as if snapping himself out of a trance, he winked at the two kids and darted to the back of the stage.

_And in my honest observation__  
__During this operation__  
__Found a complication in your heart__  
__So long, 'Cause now you've got…__  
__Maybe just two weeks to live__  
__Is that the most the both of you can give?_

Willow's heart was racing. She had to get to them. Plucking up all her courage, she tore her way through the screaming fans and reached the metal gates. Someone rammed her and she "oofed" as her body was pushed hard against the fencing. A security guard stood before her.

"Have you seen to children with black hair along the front here?" she cried over the noise. He stepped forward and their faces were centimetres apart.

"This whole stadium's full of kids with black hair!"

"No no…they're twins!" she yelled.

"Mum!" Raven shouted. She span and her little girl was right beside her.  
"Don't you EVER run off from me again!" Willow roared over the roll of the crowd. 'Dead!' turned into 'This Is How I Disappear.' Gerard was prancing about on stage and it made her smile extremely widely to see him so free and joyful up on stage. He had truly found where he belonged. Zee and Raye sidled up to their mother and we danced and jumped and had the time of our lives. And when 'Cancer' began to play, the entire audience fell into a hush. The stage went black bar the single spotlight that enveloped Gee. She tucked herarms around their children and held them close. Stroking Raven's hair, she kissed the top of Zander's head. Zee wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"Don't ever leave me that way, mum," he whispered in her ear, referring to the song. Willow's eyes welled with tears.

"I'll never leave you sweetheart," she replied softly. And there they stood. For one night of their lives, they were together. All of them. Even if Gerard didn't know it. For once in their lives, their family was complete.


	68. SEQUEL!

**HEY THERE! Ok so just letting you know that I have posted the sequel to High School! If you go onto my profile and head on down to the bottom, you'll see a new story entitled 'Chemicals, Romance, Music And Lyrics' which has the first few chapters already on it! So head on over! :D **

**BTW I have been receiving NUMEROUS reviews on this story since it ended and by jove, some of you really loved it. Thank you SO much. I love you all. YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, YOU.**

**JazzHanded Batman xoxo**


	69. ALTERNATE ENDING

**A/N: Yes! It's this story again xD I know, I know, I need to update the sequel, but I wrote this before I'd even finished THIS story – this was a possible ending to it all. After reading this you'll be glad I ended it the way I did. **

**TRUST ME.**

**But I felt I owed it to you guys. I decided I couldn't just keep it to myself. So here you go.**

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Gerard walked into the hospital silently, a bunch of beautiful, fresh red roses in his hands. The nurse at the front desk of Willow's ward smiled at him sympathetically, and nodded. He gave no response, but walked on. Her door loomed into view. A greying, kindly looking doctor stepped out from her room and walked towards him. As they passed each other by, he caught sight of the doctor's saddened face. Gerard's heart hit rock bottom as he pushed the door open. There she was, his beautiful girl. Lying there before him, her skin and eyes a deep, sickly yellow. Her gorgeous, blue eyes… the life in them was diminishing. He closed the door quietly and she looked over.

"Gerard?" she asked in a thick, dry voice. He smiled at her and paused beside her bed.

"Hello honey," he replied, placing the flowers on her sideboard. She looked at them and managed a small grin.

"They're wonderful. My favourite." She reached out a hand shakily and stroked the petals. Then her hand travelled to Gerard's and he felt her try and grip it. He squeezed it gently and stepped further forward. Leaning down, he placed a loving kiss on her forehead. He stroked her hair out of her eyes. "I look like shit, don't I?" she huffed. He chuckled gently.

"You'll always be gorgeous to me, sweetheart." She smiled and touched his face with her fingertips. He pulled up a chair beside her and took her hand again.

"If you could, get me a drink of water," she rasped. "My lips…they're all chapped, and my throat hurts." Her voice was fading. He nodded and picked up the glass and water jug from the side. She watched as he poured it. She was too weak to lift anything anymore. She could barely lift her own arms. Gerard held the glass to her lips and she drank slowly and heavily. "Thank you," she breathed when she'd finished. He put the glass down and sat, holding her hand, watching her. She stared at the ceiling above her.

"I wish I could see the clouds." She turned to look out of the window. "It looks like such a lovely day outside…" Gerard grimaced. She looked so sad. He gripped her hand tighter.  
"You will, when we get you out of here," he said. She sighed a crackling sigh.

"Gerard. You and I both know I'm not going anywhere." He felt tears fill his eyes.

"Don't you _dare _talk like that. I promise you, you'll come home again," he choked. She smiled weakly.

"Silly Gee," she giggled gently. "It's terminal, so I'm going no where." How was she like this? Awake and unafraid of death?  
"You'll get through this, babe, I mean this. You'll get through it all. You're the strongest person I know. We can live forever, if you've got the time." Tears began streaming down his face. His gut wrenched. His heart throbbed with so much sorrow. As he spoke the words, he knew the truth. His wonderful Willow was right. Then he remembered something. "Hey, I wrote you something... Do you want to hear it?" he asked. She grinned.

"I'd love to," she replied. His voice shaky and full of woe, he began.

"_Hand in mine…"_ he sang beautifully, squeezing her hand.

"_..Into your icy blues…" _he stroked her cheek and gazed into her still stunning eyes. He was taken back to the first moment he'd seen her – how absolutely over-powered he had been by her aquamarine stare, and her perfect features. Her long sleek black hair was gone now, but that didn't make her any less beautiful.

"…_And then I'd say to you, we could take to the highway…" _ He wanted nothing more than to steal her from this place and take her to somewhere where it would only be he and she, alone, together in her last days. They'd watch the clouds in the bright blue sky, and he'd kiss her until she could kiss no more.

"…_with this trunk of ammunition too, I'd end my days with you in a hail of bullets…" _He wouldn't live if she wasn't there to live life with him. He knew that the moment she died he'd want to take a gun to his temple and fire…just to be with her.

"_...I'm trying…I'm trying…to let you know just how much you mean to me…" _Tears were running down both of their faces. He stroked her arm.

"…_and after, all the things we've put each other through…"_ He almost laughed remembering his life over the past one and a half years with her.

"…_and I would drive on to the end with you, a liquor store or two keeps the gas tank full and I feel like there's nothing left to do, but prove myself to you…" _All he wanted… in the entire world…In the entire UNIVERSE…was to make her healthy again. To see her black hair shimmer in the sunshine. To see her eyes full of life again. To hug and hold her and love her so much he could cry. Not that he didn't cry about that anyway. He wanted to have the gift to bring his baby back to life. But he knew he would never possess that power.

"…_and we'll keep it running…But this time…I mean it…I'll let you know just how much you mean to me…" _And he was, through song. Her face looked so happy, that more tears splashed onto his jeans. She was crying from absolute love for Gerard. She placed a hand on his cheek and whispered "I love you so much," as he sang.

"…_as snow falls, on desert sky…until the end of everything…" _ He went to carry on but her hand dropped from his face. He glanced up. She was looking at him, but her smile was gone. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. He stopped singing.

"Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad, was it?" he joked. Her expression didn't change. He chuckled and rubbed her hand. He watched her face for any flicker of humour. He then just started to watch for anything. A blink perhaps? He frowned. He leant forward and looked deep into her eyes. They were vacant and stained. His heart almost stopped. "…Willow?" he gulped. "…Willow honey…" He was shaking. He shook her gently. He head lolled forwards. He gasped out in extreme emotional pain. "No! Willow, come on baby, wake up!" he cried, shaking her harder. Nothing. Tears pumped from his eyes. He wouldn't…he COULDN'T believe it. She wasn't…she couldn't be…. But she…she was… "NO!" he yelled. He threw his arms around her. He shuddered as he sobbed. Doctors came rushing in.  
"What's all this shouting for?" one demanded. Then he saw. "Oh my…" He rushed forward and placed a caring hand on Gerard's trembling shoulder. "I'm so very, very sorry." Gerard shrugged him off and refused to let go of her. She was still warm. He wanted to hold onto that warmth forever. She'd never been a cold person. She had been the most amazing person he'd ever known. He'd always loved her, and he'd continue loving her into his forever.

"Sleep well, my angel," he cooed through his sobs. "I love you so much. You'll never know how much." He felt around in his pocket and his fingers met a ring. He pulled it out and it dazzled in the sunlight that glinted into the room through a gap in the curtains. "It doesn't matter how old you are, it only matters how much you care… If only we'd had one last perfect night, my beautiful girl. If only you'd been here to say "yes."" He held the ring numbly between his index finger and his thumb. He slid it onto the right finger. He clasped her hand in his. "Take it with you. We'll find each other again, on the other side of the sun." She was growing cooler beneath his touch. He leant down and kissed her lips one last time before he had to step away. "I love you," he whispered. He backed away and his back hit the window. He glanced outside, his throat thick with tears, so much so that it hurt. The clouds were perfect in the sky. Just how Willow would have loved.

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**A/N: Any reviews? :'( *many tears from this ending***


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